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193,000 barrels of oil spilled in Gulf wetlands due to Katrina Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com September 23, 2005 Reports from the Coast Guard indicate that at least 193,000 barrels of oil and other petrochemicals have been spilled in wetlands and coastal areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The storm ruptured pipelines, damaged oil storage facilities, and chemical production plants. More than 40 oil spills have been reported, four of which are over 100,000 gallons -- at Murphy Oil Corporation – Meraux, La., near mile marker 87 Mississippi River; Bass Enterprises Production Company – Cox Bay, La., near mile marker 35 Mississippi River; Shell – Pilot Town, La., near mile marker 3 Mississippi River; Chevron – Empire, La., near mile marker 30 Mississippi River. The ecological damage to the region's marshlands is believed to be significant but a full assessment is likely months away. Already the Louisiana Department and Wildlife and Fisheries' have estimated a potential $1.1 billion loss in retail fisheries revenue over the next year. Scientists interviewed by THE WALL STREET JOURNAL say that long-term damage from crude oil will likely be less than that of spilled petrochemicals.
The natural erosion of the wetlands has been exacerbated by the dredging, over the past 50 years, of thousands of miles of bee-line canals. Dug with state and federal approval mostly by the oil and gas industry, the canals allowed salt water into the freshwater marshes and swamps, killing them off. The result: a massive pooling effect in which wetlands died off and sunk, leaving open water in their wake. This in turn exposes more marsh and even uplands to further erosion. Katrina's legacy will serve as a reminder of the importance of coastal wetlands. This article used quotes and information from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Related articles: What is a Category 5 Hurricane? - 21-September-2005 Hurricane Rita just strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane. A Category 5 hurricane is the strongest and most severe class of hurricane. The scale, known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, classifies hurricanes by the intensity of their sustained winds, storm surge and flooding, developed in 1969 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and National Hurricane Center director Bob Simpson. US summer wetter, warmer than usual says NOAA - 21-September-2005 The June-August summer season was the tenth warmest on record for the contiguous U.S., while precipitation was above average. Global temperatures were second highest on record for the boreal summer, which runs from June 1 through August 31. Twelve named tropical systems formed in the Atlantic by the end of August, including Hurricane Katrina, which was among the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. Tampa Bay could be hit by 25-foot storm surge in Category 4 hurricane - 16-September-2005 A Category 4 hurricane could cause a storm surge of as much as 25 feet in Tampa Bay, according to a University of Central Florida researcher who is looking at the risks Florida cities face from tidal surges and flooding. Number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has nearly doubled over past 35 years - 16-September-2005 The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, even though the total number of hurricanes has dropped since the 1990s, according to a study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The shift occurred as global sea surface temperatures have increased over the same period. The research appears in the September 16 issue of Science. Hurricane could hit Los Angeles, San Diego - 8-September-2005 San Diego has been hit by hurricanes in the past and may be affected by such storms in the future according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While a hurricane in San Diego would likely produce significantly less damage that Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it could still exact a high cost to Southern California especially if the region was caught off guard. Environmental problems worsened Hurricane Katrina's impact - 31-August-2005 The loss of coastal marshlands that buffer New Orleans from flooding and storm surges may have worsened the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricanes getting stronger due to global warming says study - 29-August-2005 Late last month an atmospheric scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a study in Nature that found hurricanes have grown significantly more powerful and destructive over the past three decades. Kerry Emanuel, the author of the study, warns that since hurricanes depend on warm water to form and build, global climate change might increase the effect of hurricanes still further in coming years. News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! |
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