GULF OIL SPILL ESTIMATES

Written by: Bob Metcalfe


The question lately has been about the scope of the oil spills impact on the oceans. Today, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) released a computer simulated model that estimates the impact of the oil spill over the next several months.

Here's what was said:
"The accident, says NCAR, happened in "a relatively stagnant area of the Gulf...." but if it is picked up by the Loop Current, speeds would pick up to 40 miles per day, "and when the liquid enters the Atlantic's Gulf Stream it can travel at speeds up to about 100 miles per day, or 3,000 miles per month." As you see in the animation, only after about 70 days -- about a month from now -- does the simulated oil begin to shoot around the bottom of the Florida peninsula and out into the Atlantic."

One thing to note: This model data was made using "dye", which differs from characteristics of oil. The dye has the same density as the water and mixes easily, whereas the oil resists mixing and acts differently based on its density. But this gives you an idea as to the massive transportation potential of this oil if it indeed gets swept into the loop current.

Here's a link to the animation of the above image: click here.