May 17, 2010
How Many Oil Barrels a Day? 5,000, 25,000 or 70,000 Gushing into the Gulf of Mexico?
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Published collaborative estimates by BP and the U.S. Coast Guard could be the low end of how many barrels of oil gushes from the remains of the Deepwater Horizon rig. BP has upped its estimates from 1,000 to 5,000 barrels a day.
However -- based on satellite and radar data -- 25,000 to 70,000 barrels have been reported spilling daily by SkyTruth.org and Tree Hugger.com . The Wall Street Journal quoted Ian MacDonald, professor of oceanography at Florida State University who specializes in tracking oil seeps from satellite imagery, on a 25,000 barrel a day estimate. McDonald works with the Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Department have worked jointly in the part with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on spill tracking.
McDonald estimated there are nine million gallons floating in the Gulf of Mexico now. That compares to 12 million gallons spied in the Exxon Valdez accident. But NOAA scientists, McDonald said, has yet to dispute the calculations.
If 25,000 barrels leak for 90 days about 94.5 million gallons will be polluting the Gulf of Mexico.
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How Many Oil Barrels a Day? 5,000, 25,000 or 70,000 Gushing into the Gulf of Mexico?
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Published collaborative estimates by BP and the U.S. Coast Guard could be the low end of how many barrels of oil gushes from the remains of the Deepwater Horizon rig. BP has upped its estimates from 1,000 to 5,000 barrels a day.
However -- based on satellite and radar data -- 25,000 to 70,000 barrels have been reported spilling daily by SkyTruth.org and Tree Hugger.com . The Wall Street Journal quoted Ian MacDonald, professor of oceanography at Florida State University who specializes in tracking oil seeps from satellite imagery, on a 25,000 barrel a day estimate. McDonald works with the Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Department have worked jointly in the part with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on spill tracking.
McDonald estimated there are nine million gallons floating in the Gulf of Mexico now. That compares to 12 million gallons spied in the Exxon Valdez accident. But NOAA scientists, McDonald said, has yet to dispute the calculations.
If 25,000 barrels leak for 90 days about 94.5 million gallons will be polluting the Gulf of Mexico.
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