Oil Spill!

Oil Spill! PDF

Author: Elaine Landau

Publisher: Millbrook Press

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 0761374906

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The oil spill was the largest in U.S. history. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank. Oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from a deep ocean well. For months, the energy company BP tried to control the leak. More than four million barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf before the well was stopped. Fishers, shrimpers, and many others along the Gulf coast lost their income as polluted water prevented fishing and stifled tourism. Meanwhile, countless workers tried to contain the spilled oil. Boat crews skimmed the oil slicks on the surface. Scientists poured chemicals into the water to break up the oil. Then bacteria could remove the smaller oil droplets from the water. Wildlife organizations rescued oil-slicked pelicans, turtles, and other animals. The government, together with BP and volunteers, rallied to help coastal areas recover. Oil Spill! explores the Gulf of Mexico disaster from the beginning. With vivid images and diagrams, it breaks down the murky mess to look at how it happened, how it affected the Gulf, how it compares to past spills, and how kids can help the area recover.

Blowout in the Gulf

Blowout in the Gulf PDF

Author: William R. Freudenburg

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0262015838

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The story of how a chain of failures, missteps, and bad decisions led to America's biggest environmental disaster.

Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health

Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-09-01

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 0309161142

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

From the origin of the leak, to the amount of oil released into the environment, to the spill's duration, the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill poses unique challenges to human health. The risks associated with extensive, prolonged use of dispersants, with oil fumes, and with particulate matter from controlled burns are also uncertain. There have been concerns about the extent to which hazards, such as physical and chemical exposures and social and economic disruptions, will impact the overall health of people who live and work near the area of the oil spill. Although studies of previous oil spills provide some basis for identifying and mitigating the human health effects of these exposures, the existing data are insufficient to fully understand and predict the overall impact of hazards from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the health of workers, volunteers, residents, visitors, and special populations. Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health identifies populations at increased risks for adverse health effects and explores effective communication strategies to convey health information to these at-risk populations. The book also discusses the need for appropriate surveillance systems to monitor the spill's potential short- and long-term health effects on affected communities and individuals. Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health is a useful resource that can help policy makers, public health officials, academics, community advocates, scientists, and members of the public collaborate to create a monitoring and surveillance system that results in "actionable" information and that identifies emerging health risks in specific populations.

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill PDF

Author: Courtney Farrell

Publisher: ABDO

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 9781617147654

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Explains the causes behind the BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill, the effect on workers, animals, and the environment, and what is being done to help the Gulf Coast recover.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill PDF

Author: Courtney Farrell

Publisher: ABDO Publishing Company

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 1617840513

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This title examines an important event in recent history - the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Easy-to-read, compelling text describes the scene of the catastrophe and its aftermath, the incident itself, the rescue of the Deepwater Horizon crewmembers, key people involved, the cause of and response to the disaster, and its effects on society and the environment. Features include a table of contents, a timeline, facts, additional resources, Web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Essential Events is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

In Deep Water

In Deep Water PDF

Author: Peter Lehner

Publisher: OR Books

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1935928090

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"First published by OR Books LLC, New York"--T.p. verso.

Deep Water

Deep Water PDF

Author: United States. National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Synopsis: On April 20, 2010, the Macondo well blew out, costing the lives of 11 men, and beginning a catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spilled over 4 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill disrupted an entire region's economy, damaged fisheries and critical habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas-the latest frontier in the national energy supply. Soon after, President Barack Obama appointed a seven-member Commission to investigate the disaster, analyze its causes and effects, and recommend the actions necessary to minimize such risks in the future. The Commission's report offers the American public and policymakers alike the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions-changes in company behavior, reform of government oversight, and investments in research and technology-required as industry moves forward to meet the nation's energy needs. Complementary reports, staff background papers, hearing records, and other materials produced by the Commission are available at www.oilspillcommission.gov.

Blowout in the Gulf

Blowout in the Gulf PDF

Author: William R. Freudenburg

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2012-02-10

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0262294087

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The story of how a chain of failures, missteps, and bad decisions led to America's biggest environmental disaster. On April 20, 2010, the gigantic drilling rig Deepwater Horizon blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven crew members and causing a massive eruption of oil from BP's Macondo well. For months, oil gushed into the Gulf, spreading death and destruction. Americans watched real-time video of the huge column of oil and gas spewing from the obviously failed “blowout preventer.” What was missing, though, was the larger story of this disaster. In Blowout in the Gulf, energy experts William Freudenburg and Robert Gramling explain both the disaster and the decisions that led up to it. Blowout in the Gulf weaves a fascinating narrative of failures, missteps, and bad decisions, explaining why this oil spill was a disaster waiting to happen—and how making better energy choices will help prevent others like it.

Deepwater Horizon

Deepwater Horizon PDF

Author: Earl Boebert

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2016-09-06

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 0674545230

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

On April 20, 2010, the crew of the floating drill rig Deepwater Horizon lost control of the Macondo oil well forty miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Escaping gas and oil ignited, destroying the rig, killing eleven crew members, and injuring dozens more. The emergency spiraled into the worst human-made economic and ecological disaster in Gulf Coast history. Senior systems engineers Earl Boebert and James Blossom offer the most comprehensive account to date of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sifting through a mountain of evidence generated by the largest civil trial in U.S. history, the authors challenge the commonly accepted explanation that the crew, operating under pressure to cut costs, made mistakes that were compounded by the failure of a key safety device. This explanation arose from legal, political, and public relations maneuvering over the billions of dollars in damages that were ultimately paid to compensate individuals and local businesses and repair the environment. But as this book makes clear, the blowout emerged from corporate and engineering decisions which, while individually innocuous, combined to create the disaster. Rather than focusing on blame, Boebert and Blossom use the complex interactions of technology, people, and procedures involved in the high-consequence enterprise of offshore drilling to illustrate a systems approach which contributes to a better understanding of how similar disasters emerge and how they can be prevented.

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill PDF

Author: C. Herb Ward

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-06-26

Total Pages: 868

ISBN-13: 1493934473

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. The Gulf of Mexico is an open and dynamic marine ecosystem rich in natural resources but heavily impacted by human activities, including agricultural, industrial, commercial and coastal development. The Gulf of Mexico has been continuously exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons for millions of years from natural oil and gas seeps on the sea floor, and more recently from oil drilling and production activities located in the water near and far from shore. Major accidental oil spills in the Gulf are infrequent; two of the most significant include the Ixtoc I blowout in the Bay of Campeche in 1979 and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010. Unfortunately, baseline assessments of the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before these spills either were not available, or the data had not been systematically compiled in a way that would help scientists assess the potential short-term and long-term effects of such events. This 2-volume series compiles and summarizes thousands of data sets showing the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Volume 1 covers: water and sediment quality and contaminants in the Gulf; natural oil and gas seeps in the Gulf of Mexico; coastal habitats, including flora and fauna and coastal geology; offshore benthos and plankton, with an analysis of current knowledge on energy capture and energy flows in the Gulf; and shellfish and finfish resources that provide the basis for commercial and recreational fisheries.