The catastrophic explosion that caused an oil spill from a BP offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico has reached the shoreline. Efforts to manage the spill with controlled burning, dispersal and plugging the leak have so far been unsuccessful. This oil spill has now obtained the dubious distinction of being the worst oil spill in US history, surpassing the damage done by the Exxon Valdez tanker that spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the ecologically sensitive Prince William Sound in 1989. Unlike the Exxon Valdez tragedy, in which a tanker held a finite capacity of oil, BP's rig is tapped into an underwater oil well and could pump more oil into the ocean indefinitely until the leak is plugged. (From The Huffington Post. Learners can double click on words they do not know.)
More links to explore:
- See the saddening photos and the rest of the links on The Huffington Post.
- Larry Ferlazzo has added three new sites to his list entitled The Best Sites To Learn About The Gulf Oil Spill.
- Take a look at the pictures of the oil spill captured by a NASA satellite to realize the extent of the tragedy.
- Read about the terrible environmental effects of an oil spill and how it can be contained on Wikipedia.
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| A Wikipedia photo of a beach after an oil spill. |
I have also written 2 posts about this great disaster.
ReplyDeleteI saw them- thank you for letting us know about them.
ReplyDeleteits a really sad thing thats happening out there. The oil spill has led a great danger for the environment especially for the marine and wild habitats of the gulf. I hope this issue gets resolved soon.
ReplyDeletebest wishes.