[stars99]

West Coast of Florida could be spared; East Coast could get the brunt of oil spill | Gainesville.com

[EngageGuy1]

I thought this was interesting:

"This is your classic fluid situation, no pun intended. There are conflicting numbers, conflicting measurements, conflicting strategies, with lots happening at once and many different people offering their thoughts on what's really happening. I'd be cautious, for example, about believing the report that oil will be carried by the Gulf Stream around the tip of Florida and onto the Atlantic Coast. This ran all over the place Sunday thanks to the Associated Press. The Gulf Stream angle got a bit hyped in the headlines ("Nightmare scenario feared if massive oil spill enters the Gulf Stream" shrieked the Kansas City Star) -- and it was based on a single source, a professor in remote sensing at UF who has no direct knowledge of what's happening in the water as far as I could tell. Tell me if you know differently (or "different," as we say in Hogtown). "

Achenblog - Gulf oil spill to reach Atlantic seaboard?

[fauve]

Originally Posted by EngageGuy1

I thought this was interesting:

"This is your classic fluid situation, no pun intended. There are conflicting numbers, conflicting measurements, conflicting strategies, with lots happening at once and many different people offering their thoughts on what's really happening. I'd be cautious, for example, about believing the report that oil will be carried by the Gulf Stream around the tip of Florida and onto the Atlantic Coast. This ran all over the place Sunday thanks to the Associated Press. The Gulf Stream angle got a bit hyped in the headlines ("Nightmare scenario feared if massive oil spill enters the Gulf Stream" shrieked the Kansas City Star) -- and it was based on a single source, a professor in remote sensing at UF who has no direct knowledge of what's happening in the water as far as I could tell. Tell me if you know differently (or "different," as we say in Hogtown). "

Achenblog - Gulf oil spill to reach Atlantic seaboard?

As much as I'd rather choose not to believe it as I live in Fort Lauderdale, I think I'd put my money on the scientists with this one:

UNC Press Blog » The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Fate and Behavior

[fauve]

Oil Spill To Hit Florida Keys: Will Hit Loop Current Within 24 Hours

[stars99]

I think they'll move heaven and earth to prevent it from reaching the east coast beaches, if there's any way to do that. Can you imagine, not only the ecological disaster, but the economic impact not just locally but on the larger hotel chains and other national businesses if oil starts washing up on South Beach, etc. and no one comes to stay there for months (years?). It would create a ripple effect that will drag the whole country down economically, as well as this state.

[keroppininja]

Don't forget also the effect this will have on the local and national food industry in particular the fishing commerce and prices.

Maybe now that the worst oil disaster in the history of mankind has come home to roost on our door step. People will be less apathetic and more willing to confront the issue of our oil usage and its impact on the eco-system in honesty, instead of turning a blind eye and treating it as a resource that is worth the risk.

[jambo101]

From another forum comes word that the media is just playing it up as usual'''

#20 Home Depot wrote:



Ok first let me justify my statements:

I have been in the offshore oil industry for 30 years and am an offshore facilities supervisor for a large independent oil company. As I type this I am on an offshore oil producing offshore platform in China and we have a rig drilling here. My company has offshore operations in many parts of the world.

1. There is no country on earth that has more stringent regulations pertaining to the offshore oil and gas industry that the USA.
2. BOPs (blow out preventers) ARE required in the USA.
3. The deepwater rigs in the USA have to meet the highest level of government and company compliance and testing of any rigs anywhere in the world.
4. The deepwater rigs such as the Transocean rig are the cutting edge of technology. There are no corners cut and no expense spared on them.
5. This particular rig was a floating MODU (mobile offshore drilling unit). It did not have legs to the ocean floor has it was working in over 5000 feet of water and the deepest water of any structure in the world with legs to the sea floor is a just over 1800 feet. This rig is held on station during drilling by dynamic positioning, and uses GPS signals and a series of thrusters to remain in one spot.
6. This rig did have a BOP on the sea floor.
7. There was obviously either one or several things that went wrong. There was equipment failure and or human error or both.
8. The biggest tragedy here is the lose of human life.
9. The news media has and will GROSSLY over hype the horror of the spill.
10. The oil in the Gulf of Mexico is light sweet crude and the vast majority will expand and thin out on the sea surface and disapate long before reaching any shoreline.
11. There were untold amounts or oil spilled during (likely far more than than came from this) hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Those storms destroyed and sunk 115 oil platforms and 52 were significantly damaged, and 19 that were set adrift. No oil was ever reported reaching or damaging the shore.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by jambo101

From another forum comes word that the media is just playing it up as usual'''

I read that. You can bet if this was happening in his back yard, he would be speaking out of the other side of his mouth.

[fauve]

Originally Posted by jambo101

From another forum comes word that the media is just playing it up as usual'''

And, I was worried...

[jambo101]

This has all the makings of another swine flu epidemic.