Putting the Gulf oil spill into visual perspective

I have seen so much dis-info attempting to minimize the impact of the 2010 Gulf oil spill, that it makes me ill. So I am starting this thread to hopefully allow people to get a grip on the magnitude of this thing, simply through satellite data. The only place where I was able to find clear, recent photos not obscured by cloud cover was at U of Miami's CSTAR Website.
They have cloud penetrating satellite imagery collected from various cooperating sources. Here is some of the imagery:

May 16 2010: evil looking black fingers wrapping around the Mississippi River delta and precious bayous and wetlands:


May 15 2010: the Eastern part of the spill can be seen getting caught up in eddies of the Gulf Loop Current. This will take it into the Florida Keys, Cuba, Bahamas etc. See for yourself:


May 14 2010: the spill is captured hovering around the birthplace of our fisheries, like a big black witch. At the top of the photo are the coastlines of Louisiana and Missippi.


What is not seen are the other plumes that are erupting below the range of visible satellite from 1 mile down, spreading who knows where. Probably Texas and Mexico beaches, and maybe the Eastern seaboard.

The dispersants the Gov. and oil execs are spreading are toxic, and are the only thing keeping the majority of the spill from surfacing. The dispersants are simply damage control. This type of chemical remediation has never been tested on such a huge ecosystem as the Gulf of Mexico.

Link to map of region on Google for perspective: Link to Google Map



[edit on 16-5-2010 by 1SawSomeThings]

www.epa.gov...
The Gulf region covers approximately 600,000 square miles, measuring approximately 995 miles from east to west, 560 miles from north to south.
The Gulf of Mexico basin resembles a large pit with a broad shallow rim. Approximately 38% of Gulf waters are shallow intertidal areas. The waters of the continental shelf (

Well done for highlighting this. In a nutshell are they saying that 10% of the ocean is contaminated?

Nicely put together information. The amount of media diss info does seem to be outrageous.

Taking what you just said about the two smaller leaks. Sky news was reporting yesterday that they had managed to redirect the oil flow from "the leak" onto a containment tanker and that they were expecting to have it completley sealed in a week. Are you suggesting that the reports are only referring to a small connected part of the leak and not the main thing?

I'm having a really hard time seeing black oil in a black and white picture, from an area I don't know..


Do you mind making a drawing that shows where the oil is? And maybe add a size-determinator?

[edit on 17/5/10 by Thain Esh Kelch]

S & F for you! Great work!

It has been very clear to me for sometime now that this unfortunate disaster is simply not getting the proper attention. I watch some video's posted on ATS and noticed that not even one military ship was in the entire video! We can (As A WORLD) come together for the hatians in disaster relief... BUT when something like this transpires you don't see anyone (Country) really lending a hand! The sad thing is that when it's all said n done this catastrophe will not be forgotton, BUT TRUELY REMEMBERED FOR TIME TO COME!

Originally posted by Streetwise

Now do you get how serious, how really really f***ing serious this is?
How does Mr. Howard sleep at night? It really makes me wonder.

-Streetwise

Mr Howard probably isnt as botherd about the ocean or environment as he is about his wallet...and he knows after this is over...hes going to get all this money back that hes paying to clean up...when oil prices go up and we give all that money back to him.....with interest.

im sure he has no problem sleeping...thats the most sick part of all

[edit on 17-5-2010 by Silicis n Volvo]

As I have mentioned in another post, the companies current efforts to stem to flow of oil is only 20% effective by placing a 4 inch pipe into the existing 21 inch pipe that it is currently leaking out of.
BP execs admit that this is the best these can do at this point in time so if for example the pipe is leaking a conservative amount of 200.000 barrels a day there is still 160,000 barrels leaking into the gulf.
This fix is there short term plan until they can repair the pipe which is likely to take another 2 - 3 months.
The reason there doesn't appear to be so much spillage is that the majority of the oil is still miles below the surface and any dispersant they are using are only effective to the top 5% of the surface area.

reply to post by 1SawSomeThings


This is natural oil though? Something tells me that in a geologically active region such as this, it has happened before and that doing anything besides caping the spill is worse than the actual disaster Itself. I don't know. Something tells me. that natural resources are handled my nature naturally. synthetic oil is a real problem. But this is just basically decomposed dead things.

reply to post by Thain Esh Kelch


There is a Google link to a map of the area at the bottom of the OP. A good reference point is the Mississippi River delta, sticking out into the Gulf from the bottom of Louisiana.

The dark black swirls are the oil, the lighter gray background is the water.

This is a disaster,first and foremost.That being said I was searching to find how much oil was lost due to sinkings in WW2. I was surprised to find that their are still shipwrecks that have oil on-board,are are leaking still today.

S unkin Ship Report




13,547,019 tons of shipping lost,and that is a estimated count.Yes,this oil spill is ongoing,but just think on how much more oil is left out there,in sunken ships,or has polluted our oceans.Makes you think.

What you all are missing is that the majority of the oil spilled is in large plume's deep underwater. One plume has been found by scientist to be over 10 miles long.

The surface pictures are grossly underestimating this disaster.

Originally posted by Aussie_Rock
... the pipe is leaking a conservative amount of 200.000 barrels a day there is still 160,000 barrels leaking into the gulf.
This fix is there short term plan until they can repair the pipe which is likely to take another 2 - 3 months.

I'm getting confused now...


1. There is one big gaping oil wound with two smaller ones?
2. BP have sent down a pipe/pump into one of the smaller ones or the main one?
3. Sky news is reporting that the operation in place (above) should result in the problem be fixed in around a week...

Corexit (two varieties) is the chemical dispersant that is being used to hide part of the disaster by making the oil mix with seawater (emulsification). Like an oil/vinegar salad dressing. It is not only being sprayed at the surface, it is being injected directly into the source of the leak. Source: AP

Have a look at the Wikipedia Link on Corexit , and if you're scientifically minded, look at references 2 and 4 (Material Safety Data Sheets, MSDS). MSDS are "right to know" docs meant for workers in the chemical industries, so the terminology is not too formidable.

I have been sort of away(ish) from ATS for awhile...really since before the oil spill started..

therefore I haven't had the "pleasure" of hearing those minimizing the oil spill and the impact it is and will have.

I will go on record clearly stating however that people with that mindset are more than likely the same children that used to eat paste and lead paint chips as a child.

We can safely dismiss them as a person entirely...they are the reason there are warning labels on hot coffee saying its hot.

The solution is simple, the ones dismissing it clearly offer not a single bit of intellectual thought, and that mindset will also destroy IQ points elsewhere...it may be best to simply hit the ignore button, knowing you have, by that simple action, increased the quality of information your exposed to a little bit more.

Originally posted by Thain Esh Kelch
I'm having a really hard time seeing black oil in a black and white picture, from an area I don't know..


Do you mind making a drawing that shows where the oil is? And maybe add a size-determinator?

[edit on 17/5/10 by Thain Esh Kelch]

Maybe you should atleast try?

Its the big black cloudy flowy thingys in the sea.

Please anyone with recent underwater video of the oil leak since the siphon has been inserted post it or U2U. New estimates from scientists are needed.

There is no way to tell if any progress has been made unless BP is forced to full disclosure-REAL TIME.

This problem is too big to let them get away with secrecy.

Originally posted by 1SawSomeThings
This problem is too big to let them get away with secrecy.

I always look at secrecy as proof there is something to hide. The effort to fix this problem and clean up the mess is failing, because there is not enough transparency. We don't know enough about what the real impact of this problem will have on our planet, and because of that, most people don't think about this as a serious problem and ignore it.

Life is not going to be easy for very many people after this event is over, not to mention other life on this earth.

reply to post by 1SawSomeThings


Great thread. I am waiting for some independent estimates how much oil is actually being released. Those pics seem to indicate that the rate of flow greatly exceeds the official story. Add the large underwater plumes to the equation and I fear this is MUCH worse than reported.

I hope I am wrong.

reply to post by Streetwise


Much of the oil is under the surface at different layers. They said that huge oil plumes are in the ocean, one they found is 10 miles long 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick and thats just one. There running around and trying to do this and that and not telling the truth, and that is this is an ecological distaster of momentous proportions and what we are seeing in the pics are the surface slicks and not the parts under water. Also where I think they are hiding the pics of dead fish. They have been showing sum on the shore, but I bet that there are large schools dead (try being a fish or any sea creature that needs to filter the water for oxygen having to do it through that toxic sludge).