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Hi Jim & All, Sept 29, 2010
I have had no response to my questions of Aug 5 but some of those questions, and many other aspects, are well covered in the October issue of National Geographic.
At least in the Gulf, a dispersant was used to decrease oil fowling of beaches. So in one sense the purpose was cosmetic but it was bread and butter from the tourism industry viewpoint (540,000 jobs; i.e. economy).
This is not discussed directly but, reading between the lines, I would guess that dispersant use, by decreasing the extent/duration of surface oil, is a positive for sea birds; provided their dependence on marine life is ignored.
Based on experience in a spill off France, the dispersant used ((Corexit 9500) is more toxic to marine life than oil and any dispersant will increase the volume of water affected.
A possible increase of oil toxicity from dispersant use, due to an increase in the oil/water interface was not mentioned. I continue t suspect that it is huge.
The Gulf has a healthy assortment of aerobic oil-eating microbes (having 3500 oil platforms, thousands of miles of pipeline and an average annual reported spill over 40 years of 383,040 gallons has no doubt helped nurture this ability but perhape the 41 million [!] gallons per year from natural seeps has helped even more (?).)
On the positive side, these microbes consume oil fairly rapidly given good aeration but, on the negative side, too rapid consumption leads to anaerobic dead zones.
Why are we spending 500 million to cementize the Sydney tar pond muck when a shovel full of Gulf marsh mud would likely do a better job for about $499,999,975 less ?
Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----
From: James W. Wolford
To: NatureNS ; Mark Butler ; Gretchen Fitzgerald ; Mark Dittrick
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:19 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] questions on oil dispersants
Dr. Ken Lee at Bedford Inst. of Oceanography has been studying bioremediation (with bacteria etc.) of various kinds of spilled hydrocarbons including crude oil and its fractions for several decades, I think. I am forwarding to Mark Butler of Ecol. Action Ctr. for possible answers to your questions, David. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
Begin forwarded message:
From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>
Date: August 5, 2010 12:51:05 PM ADT
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Oil spills: was Re: [NatureNS] Canadian gannets & winter in Gulf of Mexico -- study needed
Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Hi Jim & All, Aug 5, 2010
The Gulf spill raises once again four questions. Perhaps someone on this list can shed some light.
Is the use of dispersants (wetting agents) strictly cosmetic ?
Do these wetting agents have direct adverse effects on marine life ?
Do they indirectly have adverse effects by dispersing the oil and thus increasing the oil/water interface ?
Has a search for aerobic organisms that are able to use crude oil components as an energy source been undertaken ? Natural outcrops of oil-bearing shale would be likely sites for example. Seeding a spill area with an oil-consuming organism might be an efficient way to clean up; especially trace amounts.
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
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<DIV><FONT size=2>Hi Jim & All,
Sept 29, 2010</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> I have had no response to my questions
of Aug 5 but some of those questions, and many other aspects, are well
covered in the October issue of National Geographic.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> At least in the
Gulf, a dispersant was used to decrease oil fowling of beaches. So in
one sense the purpose was cosmetic but it was bread and butter from the tourism
industry viewpoint (540,000 jobs; i.e. economy).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> This is not discussed directly but, reading
between the lines, I would guess that dispersant use, by decreasing the
extent/duration of surface oil, is a positive for sea birds; provided
their dependence on marine life is ignored. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Based on experience in a spill off France,
the dispersant used ((Corexit 9500) is more toxic to marine life than oil and
any dispersant will increase the volume of water affected.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> A possible increase of oil
toxicity from dispersant use, due to an increase in the oil/water
interface was not mentioned. I continue t suspect that it is huge.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> The Gulf has a healthy assortment of
aerobic oil-eating microbes (having 3500 oil platforms, thousands of miles of
pipeline and an average annual reported spill over 40 years of
383,040 gallons has no doubt helped nurture this ability but perhape the 41
million [!] gallons per year from natural seeps has helped even more
(?).) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> On the positive side, these
microbes consume oil fairly rapidly given good aeration but, on the
negative side, too rapid consumption leads to anaerobic dead zones.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Why are we spending 500 million
to cementize the Sydney tar pond muck when a shovel full of Gulf marsh
mud would likely do a better job for about $499,999,975 less ?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=jimwolford@eastlink.ca href="mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">James W.
Wolford</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS</A> ; <A
title=action@ecologyaction.ca href="mailto:action@ecologyaction.ca">Mark
Butler</A> ; <A title=gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
href="mailto:gretchenf@sierraclub.ca">Gretchen Fitzgerald</A> ; <A
title=markd@sierraclub.ca href="mailto:markd@sierraclub.ca">Mark Dittrick</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:19 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] questions on oil dispersants</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>Dr. Ken Lee at Bedford
Inst. of Oceanography has been studying bioremediation (with bacteria etc.) of
various kinds of spilled hydrocarbons including crude oil and its fractions for
several decades, I think. I am forwarding to Mark Butler of Ecol. Action
Ctr. for possible answers to your questions, David. Cheers from Jim in
Wolfville<BR>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>Begin forwarded message:</DIV><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000"
color=#000000 size=3 face=Helvetica><B>From: </B></FONT><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" size=3 face=Helvetica>David & Alison Webster
<<A
href="mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">dwebster@glinx.com</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000"
color=#000000 size=3 face=Helvetica><B>Date: </B></FONT><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" size=3 face=Helvetica>August 5, 2010 12:51:05 PM
ADT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000"
color=#000000 size=3 face=Helvetica><B>To: </B></FONT><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" size=3 face=Helvetica><A
href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000"
color=#000000 size=3 face=Helvetica><B>Subject: </B></FONT><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" size=3 face=Helvetica><B>Oil spills: was Re:
[NatureNS] Canadian gannets & winter in Gulf of Mexico -- study
needed</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000"
color=#000000 size=3 face=Helvetica><B>Reply-To: </B></FONT><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" size=3 face=Helvetica><A
href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 14px"><BR></DIV><SPAN
style="WIDOWS: 2; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; ORPHANS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"
class=Apple-style-span>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Hi Jim & All,
Aug 5, 2010</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> The Gulf spill raises once again four
questions. Perhaps someone on this list can shed some light.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Is the use of dispersants (wetting
agents) strictly cosmetic ?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Do these wetting agents have direct
adverse effects on marine life ?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Do they indirectly have adverse effects
by dispersing the oil and thus increasing the oil/water interface
?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Has a search for aerobic organisms that
are able to use crude oil components as an energy source been undertaken
? Natural outcrops of oil-bearing shale would be likely sites
for example. Seeding a spill area with an oil-consuming organism might be an
efficient way to clean up; especially trace amounts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Yt, Dave Webster,
Kentville</FONT></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P><BR>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG -
www.avg.com <BR>Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3049 - Release Date:
08/03/10 11:22:00<BR></BODY></HTML>
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