What happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010?
On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations.
What happened in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 2010?
April 20, 2010: An explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, kills 11 people and triggers the largest offshore oil spill in American history.
Why did the Deepwater Horizon accident occur?
The central cause of the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was a failure of the cement at the base of the 18,000-foot-deep well that was supposed to contain oil and gas within the well bore.
Is Deepwater Horizon still leaking oil?
One oil well off the southeastern coast of Louisiana, owned by Taylor Energy, has been leaking since 2004, spilling between 300 and 700 barrels per day. The well’s reserves could keep it leaking for the next 100 years if it isn’t capped, meaning it will one day eclipse the Deepwater Horizon spill in terms of volume.
Why are the marshes and estuaries the worst places for oil to go?
Along coastal areas, marshes occur in intertidal to supratidal zones, and the marsh fringe is often contaminated by spills on water. In many areas of the country, pipelines cross under, through, or adjacent to marshes, making them at risk of interior oiling.
What happens to oil in ocean?
After an oil spill, oil droplets on the ocean surface can be transformed by a weathering process known as photooxidation, which results in the degradation of crude oil from exposure to light and oxygen into new by-products over time. …
How fast does oil spread in the ocean?
In most cases, large droplets take about three to four hours to rise to the surface and small ones (those below 0.2 to 0.3mm in diameter) can take 24 to 48 hours to rise to the surface, if they do at all.
What is actually the biggest cause of oil in the oceans?
It is estimated that runoff oil and oil from rivers are responsible for 11% of oil pollution to the oceans. Such pollution can also be oil on roads from land vehicles, which is then flushed into the oceans during rainstorms.
What happens to oil at low temperatures?
As temperature decreases, the viscosity can rapidly increase to the point where the oil will no longer flow. The higher the viscosity index, the lower the rate of change in viscosity as temperatures change. In most cases, it is recommended that high viscosity index oils be considered for cold temperature operation.
What holds heat longer water or oil?
Motor oil heats faster than water, as water has one of the highest specific heat capacities. (It takes more energy to increase the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 °C than to increase the temperature of 1 kg of oil by 1°C) Motor oil heats faster than water, as water has one of the highest specific heat capacities.
What oil heats up the fastest?
Why? For both the hot plate and the microwave, olive oil will heat up faster than water because the heat capacity of oil is lower than the heat capacity of water. Water requires more energy per gram of liquid to change its temperature.
What liquid holds heat the longest?
Zeolite thermal storage