The "Up to the Minute" BP Livefeed Discussion Thread

I just wanted to say thanks to BK Lim for his input on this. We've needed someone like you in this thread for quite awhile and it's great that a geologist like yourself with the knowledge and resources to put all this together has come to tell it like it is. It's kinda cool though that much of our speculation was either right on or headed down the right path when compared to your expert analysis. We really didn't have much proof or leads at all for a third well, but some of us had suspected that was the case and I was very happy to read your thoughts on that matter. You're right, it all seems to make too much sense to be wrong. This, IMO, makes the untimely death of Matt Simmons that much more suspicious since I think he was about to come out with all of this and in fact knew what you know before anyone else did. I would love nothing more than for this to get some major attention and I hope BP goes down for this. It doesn't look like oil flow into the Gulf will stop anytime soon if the third well is still leaking. Perhaps they are using tons of Corexit under the water to keep it from getting to the surface or maybe it is getting to the surface and just not being reported on. Maybe a little of both?

I look forward to your input in the future and hope to read much more from you on this matter.

Photos from earlier...I know there are several however they were hard to get &
are becoming rare...
~11:20am EST
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/57c81bb9ab6c.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/073bfc2d9b71.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/44d6db40bd00.jpg[/atsimg]
Appears to be possible Leaks near the edges...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f472af10956b.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1c9c94b20a71.jpg[/atsimg]
Very Active - possibly oil& hydrates coming up...it's ALL pixelated...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a0bffc15205d.jpg[/atsimg]
Something Spewing Out...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d56be6a3a279.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/706337f3101b.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/41d691f4e723.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c43f134d9b40.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/aaa314059924.jpg[/atsimg]
Sea Floor Observation...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d34069c6d90a.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/91313d1a4a15.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/99b68979b34e.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ac3909006431.jpg[/atsimg]

Ektar

Photos from this evening...
Sea Floor Survey...still active...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/18f2f56ac1db.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f53ed8c43895.jpg[/atsimg]
There were what appeared to be hydrates expelling from the small crater above...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/bae76f9dbd9a.jpg[/atsimg]
They CANNOT wait to show Life...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7dc534aea52e.jpg[/atsimg]
More Active Floor...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ae5ff41d9fe9.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5e13ef11a4dd.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/09e804bbac30.jpg[/atsimg]
ACTIVE...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/84f1a7abe187.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/00c9284a8e50.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/07e51a6c73ea.jpg[/atsimg]
Alot of stuff coming up...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7520a5bf9f5e.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/47b0684b0065.jpg[/atsimg]
Hydrates Red & Oil Blue...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/16c55f5809d5.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0832b8dfe52e.jpg[/atsimg]

Ektar

reply to post by StealthyKat


Here are a few stills from your video...(also for those who do not watch the whole clip)
I thought it was interesting to see 3 ROVs so close together viewing this Blow Out...
2:41 Many Hydrates appear on Left Top of Screen...Intensity is picking up,
Blow Out becoming Violent at 3:09...Pounding...
3:13 Color begins to change...Top portion of spew becoming redder & extremely violent in appearance...
3:20 Large Oil Blobs Spewing up..
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/314c891c51db.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7000a2874510.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/595b72197da5.jpg[/atsimg]
These are NOT small chunks...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/310896fbc468.jpg[/atsimg]
After what appears to be explosions from the floor, these next photos show what appears to be smoke? or Oil Hydrate Clouds...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4db4a84eb232.jpg[/atsimg]

Ektar
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/9de1ccf22fc4.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by StealthyKat


This video is one of my favorites because it shows stabilized equipment on the bottom with such Violent Storms of Oil, Hydrates, & who knows what...the key is the equipment keeps taking tremendous pounding from every direction & the Depth & focus remain in the same parameters...
Just to start off...0:45 - 0:49 small jolts from the floor...
1:06 Depth = 4965'
Video is Violent ALL the way thru...Hoses Blowing around & Sea Floor Jolts...
At the end of the video...5:09 Depth = 4961'
A Very Telling Video!!

Ektar

reply to post by StealthyKat


Another incredible video...This clip also contains stationary equipment so
you can really see the violent blowouts...just a start 0:25 Hydrate Clouds?
0:29 Appears to be Lg Hydrate cloud to the right & increasing in intensity
by 0:34...
0:46 Pixelation Added then eruption...

Ektar

reply to post by StealthyKat


Awesome Clip! Especially the Side-By-Side View!!
Okay now I have to find the "Flornado" Clip...

Ektar

reply to post by Ektar


You are referring to the Skandi video right?.....Notice the way the rov is jolted every time there is an explosion ...it really jumps at 2:52....you can see the force shake it hard. In almost every video or live explosion I have see.....there are those blinding white clouds. In that subduction video, you can see there are times it is such a brilliant white, it's beyond white. I watched that particular event live when it happened, and the video didn't even catch the worst of it. It actually lit up so bright, I had to look away. Like the sun underwater! There is a definite pattern to these explosions if you study them (which I KNOW you did LOL!) Great job catching the still Ektar....I appreciate all your hard work on this. I am looking for a particular video which shows what looks like an explosion with lava/fire. It's incredible! I thought I had it saved but I can't find it. I am still looking and will post it as soon as I do. You will not believe this one! What frustrates me is that this is still going on, but we just can't see because of the cams being cut. I caught a glimpse of one 2 days ago, and they shut the feed off right away....and it was a big one (the white clouds etc) ....before I could get a shot it was turned off. I'm going now to start searching for that lava/fire vid....be back asap when I find it.

reply to post by StealthyKat


To avoid duplication of work and confusion, I am pasting a snapshot of this video (ref: 20100807-1455hrs) I am looking at and commenting. This clip is interesting because the 3 or 4 lights were placed facing the recording camera. My guess is they were experimenting and recording the effect or rather the visual effectiveness of their dispersion technique.

I cannot see the coordinates properly but am guessing it is pretty close to Well A. They could be injecting Corexit directly into the well and let the gas, oil and corexit mix before, they seep out through the faults and fissures. It is more economical and effective and less PR damaging. They could be doing some sort of calibrating as well from the amount of light received. When they record the directly, you see the white to yellow to orange symmetrical pattern @ 03:23 mins, they are trying to see the light dispersion, cloudiness and light intensity passing through the “cloud”.

Notice also the 3rd light went off at 01:02 and replaced by another (4th Light) more powerful light which then went off at 1:23. Then either move or another light came out at 1:31. I do not think the recording ROV or camera was moving. Maybe someone can point out to me if it is moving. But I think they are trying to measure the distance and angle (triangular beam) and comparing them with calculated distances.

You will notice that the clouds and bubbles are moving in only one direction – to the left of the camera. At that depth I would think the natural seabed current would be negligible. The dispersed cloud stay and increase in density. Thus they could be using a propeller (from one of the ROV) to create gentle current. Constant stream of clouds rather than increasing density.

Now it does not mean there is no gas or dispersed oil outside the illuminated zone. As you can see in the later video posted by StealthyKat, the visibility is affected by the amount of light. The visible dots that ascend at a steeper angle (rising higher vs distance) are droplets of oil – more light reflected from the bigger droplets.

Air or gas bubbles absorb light so they can appear to be darker and also ascend the fastest. Solid particles can reflect or block the lights depending on their orientation – thus giving the cloudy appearance.

Clay particles because of their platy lattice structure and attraction of the hydroxyl ions, tend to stay in suspension will only settle in very calm water. I guess there is also a lot of heavy drilling mud. So when you see the cloud settling down in realtime rov video, it is not the “natural clay” sediment but the heavy-drilling mud dust. If BP is smart (and I think so with all the experts working under them), they could be using this to their advantage. Mixing the dispersant underground, they could make the dispersed oil heavier by attaching to the mud particles. It would not be too difficult a process.

Occasionally you get larger irregular shaped dark blobs - I think these are droplets very close to the camera, that they block the lights out completely and camera out of focus. You can get large chunks of sediment thrown off in a very turbulent flow or explosion but not in this video. It looks like they were set up for a steady stream experiment or observation.
(A note: I do not know if it is my setting but the video plays only halfway at You-tube site but I have no problems at this blog site. Can some tech savy guys explain this YouTube problem to me? Is it my pc setting? )

reply to post by Ektar


Ektar, how do you paste an image into your post?

Check especially from 5:25 till the end.....BK....does this look volcanic to you? Especially the last few minutes (This isn't the fiery looking one I mentioned though)....I have seen this so many times and they always keep it just off camera....see how it comes in bursts?

reply to post by BK Lim


Thank you! This is why we need someone like you! I know I am posting a lot of video, but finally we can understand some of what we see. It can be very ominous when you don't understand exactly what we see. There is one in particular that I am looking for that I really want your opinion on....still looking for it, but when I post it, I will specify that it is the one LOL....*going to youtube to search for it*....to post a pic.....go to your pictures (click on tools at the top of the page, then pictures)....upload the pic to your pictures....once it's uploaded, double click the pic you want, and a large version will pop up....look under it and you will see 3 codes....copy and save the "embed on ATS" code.....go to your post and paste it there along with your post.

FOUND ONE (fiery looking)....When these started appearing, BP began pixelating the feeds so heavily, it's hard to see anything.....so I'm not saying what it is, only that it's interesting.... BUT before the pixelation started in full force, I saw one of these events clearly....and the color was bright red.....the rov looked like it was poking some type of rod into it.....especially pay attention at 1:58....there are better ones.....still looking...(WARNING:ANNOYING MUSIC..... you may want to turn your volumn down LOL)

PLEASE compare this to the subduction video. When I first saw this, I thought it was the rov moving (and it could be)....I reacall there was a HUGE debate on this video...it was taken before the subduction video I posted here.....but now that I look at it in light of the subduction vid....it looks pretty similar....is it the same area? This is on a completely different date. (more annoying music)

reply to post by BK Lim


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/de8547008b90.jpg[/atsimg]
This was the video I reviewed earlier.

reply to post by StealthyKat


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/891d30fed366.jpg[/atsimg]

I do not know if they were injecting dispersant, they were sure expecting the seabed to heave and burst. I cannot see the coordinates clearly but I think this is quite close to Well A, along the fault line. This place must have been blowing quite regularly for them to be ready to record the event.

Looks like the ROV operators had been told under strict order not to tell but they certainly can show. So at least some of them want to leak out to the world what BP doesn’t want to tell.

The overall picture here tells me that this area had blown so often, the clayey seabed sediment had been totally replaced by heavy drilling mud. If you check the earlier seabed you can still see potholes. I will be writing on this "evolution of the seafloor features" shortly illustrating the first natural seabed features to the current heavy loose seafloor.

As the top layer gets heavier, the "dispersed fluid (oil, gas, water, slurry and dispersant)" will have to accumulate till high pressure before bursting. That's why you see a significant heave before the bubble burst. In an earlier video, the heave was hardly perceptible because the top layer was less heavy and the sediment less cohesive.

This is a good video to illustrate. You know we can all learn a little bit of sedimentology from all this.

To your question, if the robot was injecting dispersant, no it is not the dispersant causing the seabed to swell and burst. But going back to my earlier comments, it would be far more effective and economical for them to mix the dispersant inside the well or at least at a deeper level.

I would like to add that in natural seabed, once the top layer is breached, subsequent gas accumulation cannot build up the pressure. Thus you will find smaller pockmarks within or at the sides of the first “bubble burst” or crater. The size of the crater (which we call pockmark) can be between 10 to 150 m in diameter depending on the thickness, homogeneity and strength (or cohesiveness). In some odd cases, you will see not circular but skewed pockmarks but that is another story. Subsequent gas will form pockmark clusters instead. Each pockmark within the cluster is about 3 to 15m in diameter.

reply to post by BK Lim


At 1:10, you can see some type of cable or hose (white) going into the sea floor (on the right just under the rov arm in the background) just after the ROV arm raises....you can see it clearly at 1:13....right before the upheaval, there is cloudiness coming from right next to it. What do you think the white hose is? In the first subduction video, at the end, there is some sort of cable coming from above and to the floor....after the explosion, the rov goes up to it to check it out. Another odd thing I notice, are the red letters that pop up saying "recording error" or a red blinking light, in many of these videos, where they appear to have set up in advance for an explosion. They usually pop onscreen immediately before the disturbance. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. I know these are a lot of video to go over, I am just trying to show some patterns I have noticed. You are right about this area being watched. This particular area ALWAYS had a stationary ROV set up....as if waiting. For months I watched them watch it. There were seeps, cloud bursts, explosions, and those strange "floornadoes" (vortexes which looked exactly like land tornadoes, which left craters)....I'll post a video of that so you can see what I mean.

THIS SHOWS what I was talking about....watch the whole thing....I have seen this rov (?) before...with some kind of attachment....in or on the sea floor....like a cable. Then the clouds and color come, and they pull it out quickly. They were waiting for something, because they suddenly pan over to the canister/rov thing with the hose, and it suddenly gets jolted....they pull it back, and all kinds of stuff spews out...The canister/rov thing gets jolted a little after at 3:42...