- One thing you don't hear much mention of in all the coverage
of the BP oil rig blowout that is now pouring 210,000 gallons of oil a
day into the Gulf of Mexico, just a few dozen miles off the coast of Louisiana,
is the 2010 hurricane season, which officially starts on June 1, but which
can start significantly earlier.
-
- This is, after all, an El Nino year, so storms could
be more frequent and stronger than usual. In 2007, recall, the first
storm of the season was Tropical Storm Andrea, which reached a size strong
enough to merit a name on May 7, just a week later than today.
-
- Why does this matter? Because any attempt to use booms
or chemicals keep the oil away from the Gulf Coast would be completely
impossible in the event of a major storm entering the Gulf. The combination
of high winds, storm surges and high waves would push the oil slick way
inland up the bayous and onto the shelter islands that protect 40 percent
of America's wetlands.
-
- It could do
worse, too. The strong winds in hurricanes, sweeping across the surging
waves they have created, such up a considerable amount of surface water
and blow it inland. This time, however, those winds could also end up picking
up a considerable amount of the oil slick floating on the sea's surface,
which would be deposited as rain well inland, damaging croplands and forests,
too...
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- For the rest of this story, please go to:
- http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
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