OIL SPILL TO AFFECT EASTERN FLORIDA?
Written by: Bob Metcalfe
You know, it never dawned on me. The topic of my senior thesis in college will play a potentially major role in the dispersion of the oil leaking from the now sunken oil drilling spot in the middle Gulf. So much in fact that the EAST coast, rather than the west coast of Florida could see treacherous side-effects.
First a loop current primer. The loop current is shown in the image at left (highlighted white arrows.) It is a current of warm water than ejects between the yucatan Peninsula and the west side of Cuba, making an omega shape through the middle-Gulf, and then takes a sharp turn up the east coast of Florida near Miami, then becoming part of the Gulf Stream that rides along the east coast of the United States. I studied the loop current to see if it had any effects on hurricane strength and location, especially during the devastating 2005 hurricane season (the year of Katrina.)
Well as of right now, the oil leaking from the ocean floor is a mere 30 miles north of the current loop current, which means that it could easily get trapped in the flow and take a ride around the southern tip of Florida. Areas affected could include Miami, the nature-rich Florida keys, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Think of what the gorgeous beaches would look like with oil washed ashore, not to mention the terrible effects on the wildlife and eco-system. It goes to show you how one incident thousands of miles away can have a major effect somewhere down the line. I'll stay tuned for sure to this over the coming weeks, as it would take a fair amount of time for this to occur. But right now it looks like the earliest this leak will be plugged is in the two to three month timeframe, which would make this spill exponentially larger than the Exxon Valdez.
Morning guys. This question may not be easy to answer, I really don't know. But I remember hearing back awhile ago that there were some crazy ideas about how to deliberately diminish hurricane strength. One way was to spray chemicals into the eye. But another was to lay down a film across the top of the water, which could reduce evaporation and thus reduce the moisture supply.
ReplyDeleteThat brings me to my question: Will the oil spill in the gulf, especially if it continues to grow to an enormous size, have any effect on the gulf's ability to give off moisture? Could the film of oil reduce moisture supply to storms? Or, on the other hand, could the darker color of the oil help absorb heat energy more efficiently, thereby heating up the waters more dramatically?
Again, I know it's a loaded question that may not have an answer. But i'd be curious to hear what any one of you on the team think about it. Thanks!
I think you are correct in that this may not have an answer, at least not yet. I have heard some of the same theories about a coating or film on the water to decrease the strength or formation of Hurricanes.
ReplyDeleteLot more questions than answers. Let's hope they get this oil cleaned up and stop the leak before there are any hurricanes. Professionally speaking I really don't think this oil leak in the Gulf will have much of an impact on future storms.
Wow, what a question! While both of the processes you have described are in fact happening (limiting heat/moisture flux and absorbing heat) I think that it is on a much smaller scale than what would be needed to destroy a major hurricane.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we have to think location. If you really want to screw up a storm, you hit it further away from the coast, not 30 or 40 miles away from land. I think at that point it would be like shooting a BB at a freight train.
But yes, you are also correct about the defense mechanisms they've talked about. I can't remember exactly where I heard it, but Microsoft's Bill Gates even wanted a hand in it. Great, unlimited funding for a potentially devastating "experiment". One of the methods was to spread an "eco-friendly, non-toxic, bio-degradeable" oil slick over the ocean surface that would stop the heat/moisture transfer from the ocean to the hurricane. I can't see a scenario where at least some wildlife isn't harmed in one way or another.
The other mehtod you heard about is an attempt to disrupt the symmetrical nature of the hurricane. Hurricanes depend on the internal energy being very evenly dispersed on all sides, so that it doesn't "wobble" itself away. They really are very finnicky. One idea is that if you either inject a very hot or a very cold substance, or even blow up some sort of bomb, or laser-heat one area of the hurricane, this natural balance will be thrown off and it will break down. Some argue that injecting the increased energy would actually add to the storms potential and make it more deadly. I can say that I don't want to know the results. I personally think that weather is something that shouldn't be toyed with.
I read this article from MSNBC. Apparently the spew of oil into the gulf is actually INCREASING....possibly by a lot. They need to find a way to shut this bugger down, and soon!
ReplyDeleteHere's the link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36870222/ns/us_news-environment/