Asia-Pacific

    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest

    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2010-07-01 22:05
    Large Medium Small

    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest
    The wake of a ship is visible after it cut through the surface oil near the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico June 24, 2010. [Agencies] 

    NEW ORLEANS -- BP's massive oil spill will become the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday based on the highest of the federal government's estimates, an ominous record that underscores the oil giant's dire need to halt the gusher.

    The oil that's spewed for two and a half months from a blown-out well a mile under the sea is expected to surpass the 140 million gallon (530 million liter) mark, eclipsing the record-setting Ixtoc I spill off Mexico's coast from 1979 to 1980. Even by the lower end of the government's estimates, at least 71.2 million gallons (270 million liters) are in the Gulf.

    Related readings:
    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest Oil firms may find BP asset race tough
    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest BP spends $2.65B on oil spill, denies CEO quitting
    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest BP shuts down cap system to probe problem
    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest BP estimates oil spill up to 100,000 bpd in document

    The growing total is crucial to track, in part because London-based BP PLC is likely to be fined per gallon spilled, said Larry McKinney, director of Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi's Gulf of Mexico research institute.

    "It's an important number to know because it has an impact on restoration and recovery," McKinney said.

    The oil calculation is based on the higher end of the government's range of barrels leaked per day, minus the amount BP says it has collected from the blown-out well using two containment systems. Measuring it helps scientists figure out where the missing oil is, hidden below the water surface with some even stuck to the seafloor. Oil not at the surface damages different parts of the ecosystem.

    "It's a mind-boggling number any way you cut it," said Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University environmental studies professor who consults for the federal government on oil spills. "It'll be well beyond Ixtoc by the time it's finished."

    The BP spill, which began after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion killed 11 workers April 20, is also the largest spill ever recorded offshore during peacetime.

    But it's not the biggest in history. That happened when Iraqi forces opened valves at a terminal and dumped about 460 million gallons (1.7 billion liters) of oil in 1991 during the Persian Gulf war.

    BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest
    A worker contracted by British Petroleum scrapes oil from a beach after it was inundated by the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Port Fourchon, Louisiana May 23, 2010. [Agencies]

       Previous Page 1 2 3 Next Page  

    亚洲av无码专区在线播放| 精品人妻系列无码人妻免费视频| 久久久久成人精品无码| 久久AV无码精品人妻糸列| 伊人久久一区二区三区无码| 无码日韩人妻精品久久蜜桃| 五月丁香啪啪中文字幕| 亚洲男人在线无码视频| 欧洲人妻丰满av无码久久不卡| 日本无码WWW在线视频观看| 国产在线精品一区二区中文| 青春草无码精品视频在线观| 人妻无码第一区二区三区| 中文字幕一区日韩在线视频| 亚洲综合日韩中文字幕v在线| 无码专区一va亚洲v专区在线| 久久久久亚洲AV片无码下载蜜桃| 亚洲级αV无码毛片久久精品| 亚洲JIZZJIZZ中国少妇中文| 久久久中文字幕| 熟妇人妻不卡中文字幕| 中文字幕国产精品| 亚洲av无码不卡私人影院| 草草久久久无码国产专区| 国精无码欧精品亚洲一区| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区不卡 | 无码日韩精品一区二区人妻| 国产热の有码热の无码视频| 水蜜桃av无码一区二区| 亚洲av无码乱码国产精品 | 无码国内精品久久人妻蜜桃| 亚洲国产精品无码专区| 亚洲中文字幕无码久久2017| 亚洲综合av永久无码精品一区二区| 中文字幕无码无码专区| 亚洲综合无码精品一区二区三区| 亚洲精品无码午夜福利中文字幕 | 成人无码AV一区二区| 亚洲综合无码精品一区二区三区 | av无码国产在线看免费网站| Aⅴ精品无码无卡在线观看|