There is a growing debate on what will happen if a hurricane passes through the Gulf oil spill this season. A storm may push parts of the oil slick, spreading into larger concentrations in certain areas. More toxic concentrations of oil means more hazardous toxins such as Benzene and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) will be emitted, polluting the air quality. These greater oil concentrations will also permeate the land and influence, retard, or destroy life in the area. On the other hand, there is the chance a hurricane could break the oil into lesser concentrations, helping to clean the oil spill naturally, and leading to cleaner air and ecosystems in the Gulf.
Possible Positive Impact of Hurricanes on the Oil Spill:
- Churning, turbulent wave motion will continuously breakdown the oil slicks into smaller and smaller bits, working to reduce the oil slick.
- Although unlikely, oil on the water's surface may inhibit the growth of a storm by preventing the water from evaporating into the storm system, a phenomena which fuels the storm's intensity.
Possible Negative Consequences of a Hurricane Hitting the Oil Spill:
- Hurricanes traveling up the west Gulf side will spin counter-clockwise and push the oil spill to the Texas coast. If a storm travels up the east side of the Gulf, the oil will move towards the west coast of Florida. Areas will become effected that would otherwise have not been.
- BP plans to stop all cleanup activity 5 days before a hurricane passes through the area including all siphoning at the well head, oil skimming and shortly after, the shore cleanup activities. Boats and work crews will return and resume work after the storm leaves the area. The wellhead will flow freely throughout this period continuing to wash up on shore and accumulate uninhibited.
- Gusts of wind will lift oil off the sea surface. This action will create aerosols of spray droplets that float in the air and eventually land on the earth. These aerosols will ultimately spread deep inland, endangering air quality and ecosystems.
- Surface crude oil, crude oil globs of tar (from evaporated crude), unevaporated crude oil (from below the water surface) and dispersant agents mixed with decomposed crude oil will be pushed to shore at greater rates. This contamination will hit the shore and remain on or near the land surface emitting chemical gases. Further, the contaminants will leach into the soil, sandy beaches and bogs. Denser oil forms, even if buried, generating smaller concentrations, but more dangerous toxic gases than vapors currently evaporating at the oil spill. The chemicals that leach into the ground will then increase ground water contamination.
- Water surges will likely push crude oil further inland.
- Smoke from burning the crude oil will rise into the upper atmosphere and travel along with the storm. This smoke, comprised of particulate matter (solid pollutants) and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) gases will fall with the rain. This is called black rain.
Summary
These observations are a simplistic view of a very complicated problem. By their very nature, hurricanes are unpredictable and how they will influence the Gulf oil spill disaster is hard to tell. This list only suggests hurricanes may be more negative than positive. We want the positive effects.
The positive impact of hurricanes can reduce the human dangers of the oil spill, improve air quality and reduce damaging ecosystem. The positive impact reduces the number of people who will become sick, or worse, get very ill from the VOCs and crude oil fumes.
The negative consequences however, lead to higher chemical air contamination levels. The negative consequences have the potential of further contaminating our air quality and redefining life on the Gulf for people, animals, and all other living organisms.
