*Deepwater Horizon Incident
 Joint Information Center*

 *Phone: (713) 323-1670
 (713) 323-1671*

 *WASHINGTON *- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White  House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) today released the first peer reviewed, analytical summary report about the subsea monitoring in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead.  The report contains analysis of samples taken by the R/V Brooks McCall, a research vessel conducting  water sampling from half a mile to nine miles of the wellhead.  These data have been used on an ongoing basis to help guide the Government’s decisions about the continued use of subsea dispersant.

 The report comes from the Joint Analysis Group (JAG), which was established to facilitate cooperation and coordination among the best scientific minds across the government and provide a coordinated analysis of information related to subsea monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico.   This comprehensive analysis helps define the characteristics of the water and presence of oil below the surface in the area close to the well-head from May 8-25.

 The JAG report, which can be found at http://www.noaa.gov/sciencemissions/bpoilspill. html <http://www.noaa.gov/sciencemissions/bpoilspill.html>, contains data analysis of dissolved oxygen levels and presence of total petroleum hydrocarbons from water samples and oil droplet size – tests that EPA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA use to determine whether dispersant is  likely being effective and whether it is having significant negative
 impact on aquatic life. The report concludes that decreased oil droplet size in deep waters is consistent with chemically-dispersed oil. The report also shows that dissolved oxygen levels remained above immediate levels of concern, although there is a need to monitor dissolved oxygen levels over time.

 The report also confirms the existence of a previously discovered cloud of diffuse oil a depths of 3,300 to 4,600 feet near the wellhead. Preliminary findings indicate that total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations at these depths are in concentrations of about 1-2 parts per million (ppm).  Between that depth and the surface mix layer, which is defined as 450 feet below the surface, concentrations fell to levels that were not readily discernable from background levels.  The tests detection limit is about 0.8 ppm. Analysis also shows that this cloud is most concentrated near the source of the leak and decreases with distance from the wellhead.  Beyond six miles from the wellhead, concentrations of this cloud drop to levels that are not detectable.

 Dispersant has been used as part of the overall strategy to prevent more oil from impacting the Gulf Coast’s fragile wetlands, marshes and beaches by breaking up the oil and speeding its natural degradation offshore.

 EPA has required BP to undertake rigorous monitoring of dispersant use to ensure it continues to be effective and does not negatively impact  the environment.  EPA posts data from these and other monitoring  missions daily at http://epa.gov/bpspill/ dispersants.html
 <http://epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants.html>.  This data will continue to inform the federal government’s actions.

 The JAG will continue to analyze subsea data and make its reports available to the public as quickly as possible to ensure Americans have access to the data government agencies are using to make decisions.
 

The full report from the Brooks McCall mission is available on http://www.noaa.gov/ sciencemissions/bpoilspill. html <http://www.noaa.gov/sciencemissions/bpoilspill.html>.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

In addition to providing time to ensure that drilling safety on other rigs can be improved and their inadequate response plans verified, one primary reason for the present six-month Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling moratorium is obviously to prevent a second spill from taking place while all of the equipment and effort remains focused on the massive response to the first blowout.  While the 1969 Santa Barbara Blowout was STILL GOING ON, a SECOND BLOWOUT took place from another well on the same platform.
Here’s the link:   http://www.countyofsb.org/energy/information/1969blowout.asp
“Another well experienced a blowout on the platform on February 24th resulting in an additional oil spill. Oil and gas escaped through acres of fractured ocean floor long after the well was plugged.”
Richard Charter
Would it be useful to put together a quick list of times when our society has responded to major failures by imposing some sort of moratorium?

Some examples I can think of:

Space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 – shuttle program grounded for 2-1/2 years – http://tinyurl.com/95gq3
Air Force’s F-15 fighter jets, including those in service in Afghanistan, grounded for three months in 2007-2008 after one falls apart in flight – http://tinyurl.com/yceqtnk , http://tinyurl.com/2cunav8
Toyota recalls 34,000 luxury SUV’s over safety problems in 2010 – http://tinyurl.com/2fsxulk
Gov. of WV orders one-day suspension of coal mining across the state following Montcoal disaster in 2010 – http://tinyurl.com/2alvsh7
PA orders two operators to suspend gas-drilling activity pending results of state investigations at a spill site and a blowout site in 2010 – http://tinyurl.com/27pruoy , http://tinyurl.com/27pruoy
There must be many others that could help demonstrate that a moratorium to allow time to understand the BP / Macondo well failures and correct similar problems or deficiencies at other deepwater drilling projects has ample precedent at all levels of government, and is a reasonable and legitimate use of government powers. – John
—
John Amos
John@skytruth.org
P.O. Box 3283
Shepherdstown, WV 25443-3283
phone: 304-260-8886
skype: skytruth.amos
******************************************************************
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environmental protection, education and advocacy
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Special  thanks to Richard Charter

June 23, 2010

PENSACOLA, Fla. – “Hands Across the Sand” began in Florida as a warning about the dangers of offshore oil drilling even before the Gulf of Mexico disaster, and this Saturday, post-disaster, it goes international. The mission of the event is to steer energy policy away from dependence on fossil fuels and toward cleaner forms of energy.

In February, people joined hands for the first time across Florida beaches, but the Gulf oil spill has pushed the significance of their gesture far beyond the state, according to event founder, Florida restaurant owner Dave Rauschkolb.

“Americans are going to be joining hands. It doesn’t matter whether they are Democrats, Republicans, conservatives or liberals. Americans feel very strongly and deeply about their coastal heritage.”

Rauschkolb says he organized the first statewide gathering to send a message to Florida lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist that Floridians didn’t want them to lift the bans on offshore oil drilling in the Florida waters or near its coastline. Shortly after the event, the Florida Legislature tabled those efforts.

Shannon Miller, with the Florida Defenders of Wildlife chapter, says the current Gulf oil disaster is exactly what the group had feared – and warned of – in February.

“This was our worst nightmare. This is exactly what we were trying to tell people was going to happen. In fact, it’s what we were trying to get our governments to prevent.”

“Hands” events have now been organized in all 50 states and at least 20 countries across the globe. Each event takes place on Saturday, June 26, at noon in their local time zones. Miller says the oil spewing into the Gulf has created a new sense of urgency for these gatherings.

“And unfortunately, it had to be this spill that created such a buzz about it, but I think people now are really concerned.”

She is convinced that it will take years before the ecological and environmental impacts of the disaster are fully understood. Information about the events is online at http://handsacrossthesand.com
___________________
Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories:
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/14631-1<http://www.handsacrossthesand.org>www.handsacrossthesand.org</a>.%20%20%20<br%20/><br%20/>

Special thanks to Richard Charter

Alternet                           June 22, 2010
 
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/22/shocker-judge-who-blocked–
drilling-moratoriam-has-massive-holdings-in-energy-companies/
  
Great news: a Louisiana judge has ruled that the government can’t destroy capitalism by temporarily halting offshore drilling while we scramble to figure out why our gulf has been destroyed by offshore drilling (from the New York Times):
 
In a 22-page ruling, Judge Martin L. C. Feldman of Federal District Court issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a May 28 order halting all floating offshore drilling projects in more than 500 feet of water and preventing the government from issuing new permits for such projects.
 
The White House promised to appeal the decision.
 
Mr. Gibbs said the president “strongly believes that continuing to drill at those depths without knowing what’s happened” in the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers and left a well gushing out of control, “makes no sense” and puts people’s lives at risk.
 
The Obama administration had argued that a six-month suspension of deepwater drilling was necessary so that the government could complete its investigation of the Deepwater Horizon accident, and make sure that other drilling operations on the outer continental shelf were safe.
 
But the order was challenged by a coalition of businesses that provide services and equipment to offshore drilling platforms. The companies sued, asking the judge to declare the moratorium to be invalid and arguing that there was no evidence that existing operations were unsafe.
 
Nope, none at all.
 
Oh, and here’s a list, compiled by Think Progress, of Judge Feldman’s holdings in various oil-related enterprises:
 
Like many judges presiding in the Gulf region, Feldman owns lots of energy stocks, including Transocean, Halliburton, and two of BP’s largest U.S. private shareholders – BlackRock (7.1%) and JP Morgan Chase (28.3%). Here’s a list of Feldman’s income in 2008 (amounts listed unless under $1,000):
 
BlackRock ($12000- $36000)
Ocean Energy ($1000 – $2500)
NGP Capital Resources ($1000 – $2500)
Quicksilver Resources ($5000 – $15000)
Hercules Offshore ($6000 – $17500)
Provident Energy
Peabody Energy
PenGrowth Energy
RPC Inc
Atlas Energy Resources
Parker Drilling
TXCO Resources
EV Energy Partners
Rowan Companies
BPZ Resources
El Paso Corp
KBR Inc
Chesapeake Energy
ATP Oil & Gas

Special thanks to Richard Charter

ROFFER’S OCEAN FISHING FORECASTING SERVICE, INC.
WWW.ROFFS.COM  – (321) 723-5759 // EMAIL: FISH7@ROFFS.COM
 PUBLIC VERSION
See enclosed PDF analysis as the graphic is enclosed. We continue to monitor the conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and east coast of Florida. In today’s update we are using satellite data from the  have combined infrared and ocean color data from June 19-22, 2010 with emphasis on what we were able to see today to provide the background image and ocean frontal analysis. Due to the lack of repeat satellite coverage when using the synthetic aperture  radar (SAR) data we have combined June 17-22, 2010 data to provide a more complete view of the distribution of the surface oil shown in olive green color. The flow of the water has been derived from sequential image analysis which is in agreement with the many ocean buoys that are drifting in the currents. See NOAA’s AOML website for more drifter information (http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dhos/drifters.php), as well as, Horizon Marine’s site (http://www.horizonmarine.com/bp_buoys/).  We have included maps of the drifters which verify our analyses. We have changed some labels on the main oceanographic oil graphic. We have stamped the initials “WOM” in the areas that there is likely to be some water-oil-dispersant mixture at the surface and subsurface of the ocean. We have outlined in grey the tendril that we have maintained visual contact with the water masses without major interruption. The WOM is the water in some dilute form that originated at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site. There probably is more surface oil in the Mississippi Sound area that we have not identified due to a combination of cloud interference, lack of sun glint, and lack of SAR imagery.
The surface oil has spread to the Big Bend area of Florida near 85°00’W & 29°30-40’N. Based on the southward flow of the water we anticipate that the surface oil will move relatively slowly southward over the west Florida continental shelf until it reaches the area (approximately near 84°00’W & 26°30’N) where the influence of the Loop Current eddy “Franklin” will increase the oil’s southward velocity. When the oil reaches the area near the northern boundary of the Loop Current (near 84°00’W & 24°30’N) it appears that some of the oil will move eastward into the Florida Current and Gulf Stream, as well as, westward around the Loop Current eddy “Franklin.” The drifter buoys have shown this path as well. Some of the oil that will be moving over the west Florida continental shelf could move to the Florida Bay area as a function of the winds in that zone.
   The area southwest of Tampa, FL centered near 85°45’W & 27°15’N is the center of circulation of a counter-clockwise rotating eddy. We have had substantial cloud interference over the last five days and we are not certain what happened to the eddy that was centered southeast of this new center of circulation. It is possible that the original eddy degenerated and is moving southeastward around the Loop Current eddy. The drifter buoy data show that the main circulation of the present eddy. This general area has been shown to have surface oil, globs and tar balls by researchers (NOAA_AOML, CIMAS, RSMAS) on the RV Walton Smith. The motion of this eddy along with the currents related to the Loop Current eddy are pulling the surface oil from the general area near 88°15’W & 27°45’N in a southeastward direction toward 86°00’W & 26°15’N. This motion will help keep the surface oil from moving as far westward as it has eastward. There is also offshore motion in the area centered south of Louisiana near 89°30’W & 28°00’N.
Note that the water-oil-dispersant mixture has moved in a clockwise direction around the Loop Current eddy to at least as far as 86°30’W & 25°45’N. This motion has been verified by the drifting buoys. For the drifting buoys to exactly track the path of the WOM there would have to be several buoys deployed in this water.
We have followed the dilute WOM into the Florida Current from the Florida Keys to  the Gulf Stream. A dilute portion of this water has been followed in the Gulf Stream to as far north as Jacksonville, FL. We have not received any confirmed reports of any surface oil sheen or tar balls in any form in the Gulf Stream. We are currently in the turtle mating and nesting season along the Florida east coast and the  importance of any oil – dispersant mixture can not be understated. Boaters in all areas should keep a keen eye open for any pollution in this area and all areas.

Remember that every fishing trip is important to use our ROFFS Fishing Oceanographic Analyses to help you find concentrations of fish, as well as, turtles, birds, and marine mammals.

EDITORS NOTE:
While we have been conducting these analyses as a civic duty and as an exercise in technology transfer, we would like to be contracted to do this to support cleanup, restoration, and litigation, as well as, ecosystem research efforts. If you plan to use these reports including the graphics you must give ROFFS full credit for this work. ROFFS would be appreciative if you would copy this analysis to others who may be interested in our efforts. At ROFFS we have been mapping the distribution and movements of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill from satellites since the explosion. Basically we are using a host of U.S. (NOAA and NASA) and European (ESA) satellites with a variety of spectral  (infrared, near infra-red, visible, RGB and synthetic aperture radar) and spatial resolutions (300 meter to 1 KM) to see the oil. The MODIS satellite data are being received from the University of South Florida IMaRS and the synthetic radar (SAR) imagery is being received from the CSTARS at the University of Miami and also from the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We manipulate and integrate these data at ROFFS and the analyses are ROFFS expert interpretations of the satellite imagery along with other data such as winds, sea surface temperature, currents, and in-situ reports. We routinely discuss our results with several academic and non-academic oceanographers.
We use a plethora of techniques to remove or reduce the effect of clouds and satellite angle, as well as, to manipulate the satellite data to understand the ocean circulation patterns associated with the oil’s motion. We focus our efforts on the offshore segment of the oil. Sequential image analysis allows us to visualize the motion. The red “X” indicates the site of the Deepwater Horizon spill area.
We have been deriving these analyses on a daily basis and posting them to our website (http://www.roffs.com/).  We have many years of experience conducting similar analyses. For example we mapped the plume coming from the New Orleans area after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (http://www.roffs.com/katrina.htm).
—
Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc. (ROFFS )
60 Westover Drive, West Melbourne, Florida 32904
U.S. Toll Free 800 677-7633 and   321.723.5759 / /WWW.ROFFS.COM
Email: fish7@roffs.com

Special thanks to Richard Charter