ScienceDaily: Oil Spill News

New NOAA report examines national oil pollution threat from shipwrecks

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:31:31 EDT

NOAA presented to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.

Low-grade cotton offers more ecologically-friendly way to clean oil spills

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:36:36 EDT

When it comes to cleaning up the next massive crude oil spill, one of the best and most eco-friendly solutions for the job may be low-grade cotton from West Texas.

Cotton offers a new ecologically friendly way to clean up oil spills

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:38:38 EDT

With the Deepwater Horizon disaster emphasizing the need for better ways of cleaning up oil spills, scientists are reporting that unprocessed, raw cotton may be an ideal, ecologically friendly answer, with an amazing ability to sop up oil.

Health defects found in fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil spill, three years later

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:51:51 EDT

Three years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, crude oil toxicity continues to sicken a sentinel Gulf Coast fish species, according to new findings.

Special E. coli bacteria produce diesel on demand

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:49 EDT

It sounds like science fiction but scientists have developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand. While the technology still faces many significant commercialization challenges, the diesel, produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria, is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel and so does not need to be blended with petroleum products as is often required by biodiesels derived from plant oils.

Gulf of Mexico has greater-than-believed ability to self-cleanse oil spills

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:27:27 EDT

The Gulf of Mexico may have a much greater natural ability to self-clean oil spills than previously believed, an expert in bioremediation has said.

Natural soil bacteria pump new life into exhausted oil wells

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:22:22 EDT

Technology that enlists natural soil bacteria as 21st century roughnecks now is commercially available and poised to recover precious oil remaining in thousands of exhausted oil wells. The process has been termed microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR).

Promising oil-drilling tool

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:42:42 EDT

An innovative new oil-drilling tool concept has seen the light of day.

'Dirty blizzard' in Gulf of Mexico may account for missing Deepwater Horizon oil

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:09:09 EDT

Oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill acted as a catalyst for plankton and other surface materials to clump together and fall to the sea floor in a massive sedimentation event that researchers are calling a "dirty blizzard."

Biodiesel algae: Starvation diets damage health

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:41:41 EDT

New research shows that the commonly accepted method of depriving algae of key nutrients such as nitrogen in order to boost its oil content may be detrimental to overall oil yield in the long term.

Cleaning oil spills with paper mill sludge?

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:23:23 EST

Eco-innovation is at its best when the waste of one industry becomes the raw material of another. This is precisely what a new research project CAPS, is attempting to do with waste sludge from the paper industry. Its objective is to convert it into a highly absorbent material capable of cleaning up oil and chemical spills.

Chemical lets researchers extract significant oil deposits; Leaves positive environmental footprint

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:22:22 EST

Chemicals found in common household items are proving to be the right formula to safely extract up to 70 percent of oil still embedded in high-salt oil reservoirs in the United States. A research team has formulated an environmentally sound compound that increases oil flow in previously pumped reservoirs.

Citizen science more than a century later: Ordinary people go online to track Gulf oil spill

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:52:52 EST

Researchers report on a new form of "citizen science," concluding that it can help assess health and environmental threats, such as those posed by the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. The researcher studied reports to an online Oil Spill Map and discovered that citizen science can red-flag potential hazards quickly and offers specific local information that often fails to make it into official scientific reports.

Gulf oil spill: Oil-dispersing chemicals had little effect on oil surfacing, according to new study

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:58:58 EST

A new study examined the effects of the use of unprecedented quantities of synthetic dispersants on the distribution of an oil mass in the water column. Scientists developed and tested models to show that the application of oil-dispersing chemicals had little effect on the oil surfacing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Research, response for future oil spills: Lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:59:59 EST

A special collection of articles about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill provides the first comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the science used in the unprecedented response effort by the government, academia, and industry. Two overview papers and 13 specialty papers constitute a special section of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Gulf of Mexico clean-up makes 2010 spill 52-times more toxic; Mixing oil with dispersant increased toxicity to ecosystems

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:05:05 EST

If the 4.9 million barrels of oil that spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 Deep Water Horizon spill was a ecological disaster, the two million gallons of dispersant used to clean it up apparently made it even worse – 52-times more toxic.

Plants' exposure to light influences organic weed control methods

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:23:23 EST

The popularity of organic foods and products continues to climb, creating greater demand for organic agriculture. Effective natural alternatives to synthetic chemical weed and pest management are needed to meet organic standards. Essential oils, such as clove oil, offer an avenue to explore.

NASA radar penetrates thick, thin of Gulf oil spill

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:12:12 EDT

Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have developed a method to use a specialized NASA 3-D imaging radar to characterize the oil in oil spills, such as the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The research can be used to improve response operations during future marine oil spills.

Combination of Gulf oil and dispersant spell potential trouble for gut microbes

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:10:10 EDT

In a new study, researchers examined whether crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the dispersant used on it, or a combination of the two might affect the microbes of the human digestive tract. The researchers found that although high concentrations of oil combined with dispersant are detrimental to these helpful microbial communities, the low to undetectable concentrations typically found in Gulf shellfish had no discernible effect.

Engineers to design affordable CO2 thickener to augment oil extraction

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:21:21 EDT

Crude oil extraction could be improved significantly and accessible domestic oil reserves could be expanded with an economical CO2 thickener being developed by engineers.

Exposure to fuel from Prestige tanker oil spill causes short-term damage to rat DNA, Spanish study finds

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:54:54 EDT

An experiment carried out on rodents exposed to fuel similar to that of the Prestige tanker oil spill -- which took place nearly a decade ago and caused one of Spain's largest ecological disasters -- shows that inhalation of the fuel causes damage to genetic material. According to the study, the results could be used in relation to people who carry out the industrial cleaning of coasts.

A complete solution for oil-spill cleanup

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:09:09 EDT

Scientists are describing what may be a "complete solution" to cleaning up oil spills -- a super-absorbent material that sops up 40 times its own weight in oil and then can be shipped to an oil refinery and processed to recover the oil.

Time bomb: Military ordnance in Gulf of Mexico poses threat to shipping, says expert

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:03:03 EDT

Millions of pounds of unexploded bombs and other military ordnance that were dumped decades ago in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as off the coasts of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, could now pose serious threats to shipping lanes and the 4,000 oil and gas rigs in the Gulf, warns oceanographers.

New uses for old tools could boost biodiesel output

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:46:46 EDT

Tried-and-true techniques could help optimize oilseed yield for biodiesel production, according to recent studies.

At least 200,000 tons of oil and gas from Deepwater Horizon spill consumed by Gulf bacteria

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:53:53 EDT

Researchers have found that, over a period of five months following the disastrous 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, naturally-occurring bacteria that exist in the Gulf of Mexico consumed and removed at least 200,000 tons of oil and natural gas that spewed into the deep Gulf from the ruptured well-head.

Biorefinery makes use of every bit of a soybean

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:40:40 EDT

Scientists have unveiled new technology intended to move soybeans, second only to corn as the top food crop in the U.S., along the same use-to-all path of corn and crude oil as a raw material for a wider portfolio of products.

Cleaner fuel for cruise ships and other big vessels from ingredients in detergents, medicines

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:21:21 EDT

Scientists have developed a new fuel mixture to ease the major air pollution and cost problems facing cruise ships, oil tankers and container ships. These vessels tend to burn the cheapest and most highly polluting form of diesel fuel.

New oil spill dispersant made from ingredients in peanut butter, chocolate, ice cream

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:40:40 EDT

With concerns about the possible health and environmental effects of oil dispersants in the Deepwater Horizon disaster still fresh in mind, scientists have developed a new dispersant made from edible ingredients that both breaks up oil slicks and keeps oil from sticking to the feathers of birds.

Research could lead to improved oil recovery, better environmental cleanup

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:14:14 EDT

Researchers have taken a new look at an old, but seldom-used technique developed by the petroleum industry to recover oil, and learned more about why it works, how it could be improved, and how it might be able to make a comeback not only in oil recovery but also environmental cleanup.

High dolphin deaths in Gulf of Mexico due to oil spill and other environmental factors, study finds

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:52:52 EDT

The largest oil spill on open water to date and other environmental factors led to the historically high number of dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico, concludes a two-year scientific study.

Caution needed with new greenhouse gas emission standards: New model provides lifecycle analysis of 'well-to-wheel' oil sands emissions

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:29:29 EDT

Researchers developed a new model called GHOST (GreenHouse gas emissions of current Oil Sands Technologies), which accounted for the 'upstream' GHG emissions combined with information in the scientific literature on 'downstream' emissions.

Winds played important role in keeping oil away from South Florida

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:35:35 EDT

Winds played an important role in keeping oil from the Gulf oil spill away from South Florida.

BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill exacerbated existing environmental problems in Louisiana marshes

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:22:22 EDT

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill temporarily worsened existing manmade problems in Louisiana’s salt marshes such as erosion, but there may be cause for optimism, according to a new study.

Waves of responders deploy omics to track Deepwater Horizon cleanup microbes

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:13:13 EDT

In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago, a team of researchers found that marine microbial communities also played a role in the dispersal process.

Microbial communities changed after Deepwater Horizon Spill

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:34:34 EDT

Communities of microbial organisms -- species such as nematodes, protists and fungi -- on beaches along the Gulf of Mexico changed significantly following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010. Researchers analyzed marine sediments from five Gulf Coast sites prior to and several months following shoreline oiling.

Push from Mississippi kept Deepwater Horizon oil slick off shore

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:50:50 EDT

Geoscientists offer an explanation for why the Deepwater Horizon oil spill didn't have the environmental impact that many had feared. Using publicly available datasets, their study reveals that the force of the Mississippi River emptying into the Gulf of Mexico created mounds of freshwater which pushed the oil slick off shore.

Nanotube 'sponge' has potential in oil spill cleanup

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:20:20 EDT

A carbon nanotube sponge that can soak up oil in water with unparalleled efficiency has just been developed, with help from computational simulations.

First 'microsubmarines' designed to help clean up oil spills

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:34:34 EDT

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of the first self-propelled "microsubmarines" designed to pick up droplets of oil from contaminated waters and transport them to collection facilities. The report concludes that these tiny machines could play an important role in cleaning up oil spills, like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico.

New ecological model for deep-water oil spills

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:39:39 EDT

On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform blowout, a national panel of researchers is providing new insight into what happened in the disaster, as well as a guide for how to deal with such events in the future, and why existing tools were inadequate to predict what lay before them.

Marine scientists urge government to reassess oil spill response

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:39:39 EDT

On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a national panel of researchers is urging the US federal government to reassess how it would respond to similar oil spills that might occur in the future.

Higher concentrations of heavy metals found in post-oil spill oysters from Gulf of Mexico, experts say

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:25:25 EDT

Scientists have detected evidence that pollutants from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have entered the ecosystem's food chain. Preliminary results demonstrate that oysters collected post-spill contain higher concentrations of heavy metals in their shells, gills, and muscle tissue than those collected before the spill.

BP oil spill, two years later: Natural recovery far greater than expected

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:26:26 EDT

This Friday, April 20, will mark two years since the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused vast quantities of crude oil to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. But despite the size of the spill, "the natural recovery is far greater than what anybody hoped when it happened," said a professor of biology. "The fears of most people -- that there would be a catastrophic collapse of the ecosystem in the Gulf -- never materialized."

Can sound science guide dispersant use during subsea oil spills?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:34:34 EDT

On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, a pair of researchers are testing whether sound waves can be used to determine the size of oil droplets in the subsea—knowledge that could help guide the use of chemical dispersants during the cleanup of future spills.

Gulf coast residents say BP oil spill changed their environmental views

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:52:52 EDT

Researchers have found that residents of Louisiana and Florida most acutely and directly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- said they have changed their views on other environmental issues as a result of the spill.

Deep-sea oil wells: Surface coatings could inhibit buildup of methane hydrates that can block deep-sea oil and gas wells

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:22:22 EDT

During the massive oil spill from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon well in 2010, it seemed at first like there might be a quick fix: a containment dome lowered onto the broken pipe to capture the flow so it could be pumped to the surface and disposed of properly. But that attempt quickly failed, because the dome almost instantly became clogged with frozen methane hydrate. Now a newly developed surface coatings could inhibit buildup of methane hydrates that can block deep-sea oil and gas wells.

Defying conventional wisdom, water can float on oil

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:52:52 EDT

Defying thousands of years of conventional wisdom, scientists are reporting that it is possible for water to float on oil, a discovery they say has important potential applications in cleaning up oil spills that threaten seashores and fisheries.

Unprecedented impact of Deepwater Horizon on deep ocean revealed

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:08:08 EDT

Scientists report "compelling evidence" that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has impacted deep-sea corals. Their study used underwater robots to investigate the corals and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography to determine precisely the source of petroleum hydrocarbons found.

Deep-ocean impact of the Deepwater Horizon explosion revealed

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:08:08 EDT

Scientists have discovered compelling evidence of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea corals. The researchers used a wide range of underwater vehicles, including the research submarine Alvin, as well as comprehensive chemical-analysis techniques to determine precisely the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons they found on the corals.

Some Gulf dolphins severely ill after Gulf oil spill

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:36:36 EDT

Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, are showing signs of severe ill health, according to marine mammal biologists. Barataria Bay, located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster entered food chain in the Gulf of Mexico

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:21:21 EDT

Since the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010, scientists have been working to understand the impact the disaster has had on the environment. For months, crude oil gushed into the water before the well was capped. A new study confirms that oil from the Macondo well made it into the ocean's food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton.

Mathematical methods predicts movement of oil and ash following environmental disasters

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:28:28 EDT

For those involved in managing the fallout from environmental disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is essential to have tools that predict how the oil will move, so that they make the best possible use of resources to control the spill. Such tools now appear to be within reach.

BP oil spill hurt marshes, but recovery possible, experts say

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:16:16 EST

A new study shows that arthropods living in coastal salt marshes affected by BP oil spill were damaged but they were able to recover if their host plants remained healthy.

Oil sands pollution comparable to a large power plant

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:46:46 EST

In the first look at the overall effect of air pollution from the excavation of oil sands, also called tar sands, in Alberta, Canada, scientists used satellites to measure nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted from the industry.

Deepwater Horizon disaster could have billion dollar impact

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:55:55 EST

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 will have a large economic impact on the US Gulf fisheries. A new study says that over seven years this oil spill could have a $US8.7 billion impact on the economy of the Gulf of Mexico. This includes losses in revenue, profit, and wages, and close to 22,000 jobs could be lost.

Long-term response plan for possible Cuban oil spill

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST

Researchers are working on long-term sustainability study to prepare for an oil spill that could catastrophically impact Florida.

Can the economy bear what oil prices have in store?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:36:36 EST

The economic pain of a flattening oil supply will trump the environment as a reason to curb the use of fossil fuels, say scientists.

Italian shipwreck threatens to create second disaster at sea

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:27:27 EST

An expert on the protection of threatened marine ecosystems has commented on the potential for ecological disaster posed by the 2,300 tons of fuel oil still aboard the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia.

Mysterious flotsam in Gulf of Mexico came from Deepwater Horizon rig

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:31:31 EST

Using state-of-the-art chemical forensics and a bit of old-fashioned detective work, scientists confirmed that mysterious material found floating in the Gulf of Mexico came from the Deepwater Horizon rig. They further determined that tracking debris from damaged rigs can help forecast coastal impacts and guide response efforts in future spills.

Comprehensive picture of the fate of oil from Deepwater Horizon spill

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:36:36 EST

A new study provides the composite picture of the environmental distribution of oil and gas from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It amasses a vast collection of available atmospheric, surface and subsurface chemical data to assemble a "mass balance" of how much oil and gas was released, where it went and the chemical makeup of the compounds that remained in the air, on the surface, and in the deep water.

Gulf of Mexico topography played key role in bacterial consumption of Deepwater Horizon spill

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:22:22 EST

When scientists reported that bacterial blooms had consumed almost all the deepwater methane plumes after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, some were skeptical.