How Much Oil Is Really Spilling into the Gulf of Mexico?

Submitted by Anne Landman on

Gulf Spill Fishing closureMap of Gulf spill on May 8, with fishing closure areaAt first, right after the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore rig exploded on April 20, BP and U.S. government officials reported the underwater well was pumping about 1,000 barrels a day into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A few days later, that figure was challenged by the non-profit group SkyTruth, which uses remote sensing and digital mapping to evaluate environmental issues globally. Ten days later, by April 30, some industry experts said the well could be leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels daily -- five times the previous estimate, and the one that has been the most widely and persistently used in the media.

Wildly Disparate Estimates

But estimates continue to change. On May 4th, BP executives in a closed-door meeting reportedly told Congress that the well is discharging anywhere from 5,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf per day. At 42 U.S. gallons per barrel, that means the spill could be growing by 210,000 to 2.52 million gallons of oil each day. But how much is that, really?

See For Yourself the Extent of the Disaster

Now we can all see exactly how much it is, and how fast the spill is growing, thanks to Google, who has started a Crisis Response Site for the Gulf spill that constantly maps the changing size, shape and location of the spill based on data from the State of Louisiana, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and from satellite imagery. Google also lets you toggle on various maps showing the size and location of the spill on specific dates, where booms have been laid to protect the coast, and where spill-related incidents have occurred, like where the 30 or so dead turtles washed up on shore.

The Engineering Manager for Google Maps, Paul Rademacher, thoughtfully developed a Web site called "How Big is the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?" that allows people to take a current, up-to-date map of the spill and lay it over a map of their own city or area. This helps give people a sense of the spill's true size in the midst of widely-ranging official estimates that may or may not be true. You can lay the Gulf oil spill over London, Rome, San Francisco, Hawaii or Washington, D.C., or put it over your own town or state, to get an idea of it's true size, day by day. All you need is a free Google Earth plugin available free at the site.

Crisis Management
Corporations
Environment

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Comments

eddie in oglesb... replied on

BP is lying and making things up and trying to get out of this !! Steve Wereley a professor at Purdue University says that this leak is actually a gusher of 70,000 barrels a day. The professor did say that this estimate is 20% more or less than 70,000 barrels a day. This is outrageous and unacceptable. I am boycotting BP and I've already started calling friends and family to stop buying BP. So far, everyone I talk to agrees with me and will be boycotting BP. These oil companies have been raping us ever since Cheney's secret energy meetings and this needs to stop...and I ask again, WHY AREN'T BUSH AND CHENEY IN JAIL AGAIN ??!

Anonymous replied on

Gosh, no conspiracy theory here. I suspect that if we get hit by a meteor it’s going to be because of some clandestine plan by Bush and Cheney. Global warming was their fault right? Oh wait, now its global climate change…

A Centrist Views replied on

The deregulation of any corporate industry has been a known for the last 30 years. The Republican/Conservative philosophy of less or smaller government has just been one of catering to corporate greed and not enforcing the rules, in exchange for generous political contributions. Conscience? . . . . Oh,Never Mind !

kittyluvr replied on

Funny how no one in MSM is mentioning that Halliburton is one of Cheney's babies...

I HATE OUR GOVE... replied on

bush and cheney.. comon hoew is this their fault.. yea bp should be responsible and the nshut down in the us. but the bigger of the evils is our current idiot in office. he stopped aid from russia and many other contries... hmmm bp is to blame and obama is the problem.. did you know he has oil interest down south?.... after spill he saw a vision.. they will move their rigs if i stop oil movement in the gulf and setup on my interest... money in obamas pocket..... hes bad news was before he got into office and still is...

Asmar replied on

Thank you for the valuable information. I asked a friend this question, to my satisfaction, I found the answer from you updated reports on the oil spill; how many ounces of water is in the gulf, how many cubic inches is in the gulf? One thousand seven hundred twenty-eight cubic inches equal one cubic foot. One cubic foot equals sixty-two and one-half pound of water. Are we safe? Thank you

DWIGHTBAKER replied on

Independent views are needed but what then? BP has sucked many in our Federal Government in as co-stewards in this mess. Now the smirks from many of the Jerks in BP have got folks in the USA fuming. And the trickle down effect has finally got those in DC wondering what could be next? Maybe the loss of their jobs?????? Look at this plan pass it around to those in Oil and Gas for real then get some buy in and make BP stop the oil and gas before it is too late. Thursday, May 20, 2010 To all concerned about our future: The following has been sent along to BP without a response. Yet today BP is stating they will try to do a similar thing but not in an oil field way of doing. That does not surprise me they have been doing things left handed and sideways since all this began. I suggest for All that can --- pass this along to BP stressing on them to do the right thing this time ‘To stop the oil and gas from flowing into our Gulf of Mexico’. What is at stake? Bret Hume FOX NEWS spin master said he could see No Oil. Got to watch the mainstream media propaganda spin masters they get their orders from the top of the heap. View Bret Hume on FOX NEWS http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/849.html Some might say Just take the scoundrels to court--- Which one and What day and When will they pay? If you think that way may you set back and think about who we are up against “The biggest buck folks in the human history, the Rockefellers and Rothschild’s” --- then think along those lines asking “Are we really sovereign people”? Wednesday, May 19, 2010 Reuters, The operators of Reuters must pass this along to the Rothschild’s who own Reuters as soon as possible. The games that some are playing at BP will in the end cause a ruckus too hard to mend. I proposed this plan a week ago the oil and gas could have been stopped by now. Yet the mum boo jumbo way this crisis is being handled in the USA is a fault of guilt’s that will go back and keep going back until trials are held and many responsible for the lacks found in their actions will put them in jails. Many have not a clue yet I do. To whom it must concern at BP By Dwight Baker May 16, 2010 Dbaker007@stx.rr.com SUBJECT; Build install Overshot for riser PURPOSE; Kill the well Should I have enough facts about the conditions where you are working, consider this: get a design ‘You have all the dimensions’ then get an overshot made to fit the top flange looking up where the riser was affixed. Get 5,000 feet of heavy weight 7” or better casing loaded on board for the overshot to be attached. The casing string should be arranged as this: 1. On the bottom the overshot 2. Next up 3 or more high pressure check valves to resist the flow of gas and fluids up to the rig installing. 3. Next install 1 or more high-pressure pump out plugs to begin unloading the loss circulation material and heavy weight mud whatever that might be. 4. When installing the casing fill the casing as needed with loss circulation material and heavy weight mud as best designed. 5. Design a cut off charge to be used to separate the drill string from the riser with intent to have it fall away out of the overshot to be installed. 6. Use the roves to set the charge off at the best time after installation of overshot is underway. Should it not fall away as expected then a grapple can be used to pull out of the way. 7. After setting the overshot around the top flange the rubber goods installed will compress. 8. Install cementing plugs as needed and begin pumping as needed. 9. I believe the entire amounts of fluids and solids will go quickly into all exit points at this time. 10. The cement should be pumped down to the setting ring. 11. Should it not go down then close in ---- let set until cement has had time to dry. 12. After that time ----to release the rig a charge could be set at the depth where cement is in the setting casing --- the remainder can be pulled up and hopefully the nightmare will be ended. GOOD LUCK I have high hopes that the BOP SUB SEA WELL CONTROL SYSTEM IS STILL UP RIGHT. Now, this is a good idea much better than the current plan that is NOT SANE or SOUND AT ALL ----NOW my thoughts and ideas are worthy of payment, please advise when we can come to terms. Dwight Baker PO BOX 7065 Eagle Pass Texas, 78852 tel 830-773-1077 Retired Oil and Gas Engineer with USA PATENTS high-pressure gates valves. Banking Universal Commercial Code number E67344656 My genetic roots go back to J.D. Rockefeller.

Make Sustainabl... replied on

It is really terrible what's happening there, the biggest <a href="http://make-sustainable-choices.com/2010/05/02/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-20threatening-wild-life/">ecological disaster </a> ever it seems ... They are not telling the truth yet and considering the fact that it is happening in the middle of the ocean, it's hard to get a sense of the true size of the spill. Thanks Google we have an idea of the surface of the spill, but what about its depth? I hear today that they were also incapable to properly manage the usage of neutralizing substances, and that their usage was delayed for days with catastrophic consequences. The region is going to be dead for years now, think not only on shrimps and tourism, but all local economy ... And the sea life? The birds? Who cares about them and their destroyed habitat?

Anonymous replied on

I am a U.S. Marine, and I'm just blown away at how the government is handling this hole thing. I have not heard of but one attempt on how they are going to fix this, and its been alost 2 weeks, Since it has started there have been sighting of oil on the east coast in North Carolina, of oil bubbles. How B.P. is still even allowed to pump oil around the U.S. just shows you how the government is owned by the oil companies and its money.

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