Where does Deepwater Horizon fit on the unhappy league table of oil spills?
Simon Boxall: The Deepwater Horizon is difficult to gauge. If one looks at the original estimates from both BP and the Coastguard, then actually a Deepwater Horizon didn’t even beat the top 50 oil spills worldwide in terms of volume. And certainly in terms of environmental impact, it hasn’t been that great, thus far. However, more recent estimates have certainly given the amount of oil that BP are collecting from the oilwell at the moment, obviously those early estimates of 5,000 barrels a day were gross understimates. On the current estimates, which are almost ten times that amount, then the Deepwater Horizon does now edge itself into the very unfortunate and very unenviable league table of being about the third or fourth largest worldwide. Now, again, it remains to be seen whether that amount of oil will cause the level of damage we get from say Exxon Valdez, or from the other well-known tanker spills, or whether actually the oil itself is sufficiently such that the damage caused is
Related Questions
- BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Federal Fishery Closure Frequently Asked Questions Prepared by Louisiana Sea Grant Law & Policy Program June 2010 [ Download printer-friendly PDF ] Why is NOAA Fisheries Service prohibiting fishing in certain areas?
- Whats the environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?
- Could the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affect sea turtles?
