Hurricanes, a Blessing in Disguise?
Hurricanes are giant, free-wheeling tropical storms with a wind speed of over 160 miles. Responsible for more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain on a single day, hurricanes can possibly flood a region with a single hit.
The Alex Hurricane has kick started the official hurricane season in the United States. With the oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico still under progress, environmentalists fear that hurricane Alex might push the oil spill to other parts of the coast. On the other hand, a few believe that the hurricane might help oil spill dispersal.
Generally, a hurricane will span around 200-300 miles, which is greater than the current size of the oil spill. Therefore, the hurricane’s impact on the oil spill will be minimal but the movement of the hurricane will influence the spread of oil. The storms might carry oil near the shore along with the contaminated debris from the Deepwater Horizon.
The good news is that powerful hurricane winds can tear into the slick, turn it into globules of oil, and accelerate the biodegradation process. The oil-eating microbes can function more effectively on droplets of oil rather than a big pool of oil. In addition, when large sheets of oil are broken down they can be easily weathered by oxygen, which can change the properties of crude oil. The broken down oil globules evaporate at a faster rate from the water surface, aiding the oil spill cleanup.
The use of biodegradable dispersants like Oil Gone Easy S-200 in the cleanup operations would pave way for oil-eating microbes to function efficiently. The Alex hurricane could be a blessing in disguise, as powerful winds could help break up and disperse offshore oil, giving a boost to the stalled oil spill cleanup operations.
Popularity: 6% [?]
