Deepwater Horizon

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill revived discussions on the use of dispersants as an oil spill countermeasure. One of the greatest concerns regarding the use of dispersants deals with potential exposure of water column organisms to high concentrations of oil. While toxicity data on dispersants and physically and chemically dispersed oil have been generated for decades under controlled laboratory conditions, the practical use of this information has been limited by the lack of a centralized data repository. As a result, the Dispersant and Chemically Dispersed Oil Toxicity Database (DTox) was created to address that shared need of unrestricted and rapid access to toxicity data. DTox is a quantitative database that gathers existing toxicity data through a careful review and compilation of data extracted from the peer-review and gray literature. Through a rigorously evaluation of the quality of each data source, this database contains pertinent information including species scientific na...

Abstract: BP Oil Spill may cause an irreparable damage to the Gulf Stream global climate thermoregulation activity. The Gulf Stream importance in the global climate thermoregulation processes is well assessed. The latest real time satellite (Jason, Topex/Poseidon, Geosat Follow-On, ERS-2, Envisat) data maps of May-June 2010 processed by CCAR 1,2 (Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research), checked at Frascati Laboratories by the means of the SHT congruent calculus 3 and compared with past years data, show for the first time a direct evidence of the rapid breaking of the Loop Current, a warm ocean current, crucial part of the Gulf Stream. As displayed both by the sea surface velocity maps and the sea surface height maps, the Loop Current broke down for the first time around May 18 th and generated a clock wise eddy, which is still active (see Fig. 1). Figure 1 | Real time satellites data maps. Real time sea surface height maps (above) and sea surface velocity maps (below) starting f...

Horizon scanning is intended to identify the opportunities and threats associated with technological, regulatory and social change. In 2017 some of the present authors conducted a horizon scan for bioengineering (Wintle et al., 2017). Here we report the results of a new horizon scan that is based on inputs from a larger and more international group of 38 participants. The final list of 20 issues includes topics spanning from the political (the regulation of genomic data, increased philanthropic funding and malicious uses of neurochemicals) to the environmental (crops for changing climates and agricultural gene drives). The early identification of such issues is relevant to researchers, policy-makers and the wider public.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes liability for injuries to natural resources because of the release or threat of release of oil. Assessment of injury to natural resources resulting from an oil spill and development and implementation of a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement or acquisition of natural resources to compensate for those injuries is accomplished through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. The NRDA process began within a week of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010. During the spill, more than 8500 dead and impaired birds representing at least 93 avian species were collected. In addition, there were more than 3500 birds observed to be visibly oiled. While information in the literature at the time helped to identify some of the effects of oil on birds, it was not sufficient to fully characterize the nature and extent of the injuries to the thousands of live oiled birds, or to quantify those injuries...

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest in U.S. history, contaminating thousands of miles of coastal habitat and affecting the lives of many avian species. The Gulf of Mexico is a critical bird migration route area and migrants that were oiled but did not suffer mortality as a direct result of the spill faced unpredictable fates. This study utilized homing pigeons as a surrogate species for migratory birds to investigate the effects a single low level external oiling event has on the flight performance and behavior of birds flying repeated 161 km flights. Data from GPS data loggers showed that lightly oiled pigeons changed their flight paths, increased their flight durations by 2.6 fold, increased their flight distances by 28 km and subsequently decreased their route efficiencies. Oiled birds also exhibited reduced rate of weight gain between flights. Our data suggest that contaminated birds surviving the oil spill may have experienced flight impairment and reduced refueling...

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 134 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico making it the largest oil spill in US history. The three month oil spill left tens of thousands of birds dead; however, the fate of tens of thousands of other migratory birds that were affected but did not immediately die is unknown. We used the homing pigeon as a surrogate species for migratory birds to investigate the effects of a single external oiling event on the flight performance of birds. Data from GPS data loggers revealed that lightly oiled pigeons took significantly longer to return home and spent more time stopped en route than unoiled birds. This suggests that migratory birds affected by the oil spill could have experienced long term flight impairment and delayed arrival to breeding, wintering, or crucial stopover sites and subsequently suffered reductions in survival and reproductive success.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill contaminated thousands of miles of habitat valuable to hundreds of species of migratory and resident birds of the Gulf of Mexico. Many birds died as a direct result of the oil spill; however, the indirect effects of oil exposure on the flight ability and body condition of birds are difficult to assess in situ. This study utilizes the homing pigeon as a surrogate species for migratory birds to investigate the effect of multiple external oil exposures on the flight performance and body mass change of birds over a series of repeated flights from 136.8km flight distance. Oiled pigeons took significantly longer to return home, lost more weight during flight, and were unable to recover their weight, resulting in reduction of body weight overtime. Based on our data, migratory birds that were oiled, even partially, by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill likely took longer to complete migration and were likely in poor body condition, increasing their risk of morta...

Após o acidente do Blowout de Macondo, no Golfo do México, que culminou com o afundamento da plataforma Deepwater Horizon e a morte de 11 pessoas, a legislação que envolve a segurança de poço passou a sofrer mudanças, em especial as relacionadas com Blowout Preventer (BOP). O BOP é um equipamento essencial para a segurança da perfuração, completação e intervenção do poço. Tem como função conter os fluidos da formação, com ou sem ferramentas em seu interior. Para isso, conta com corpo e conectores resistentes a pressão, bem como preventores capazes de vedar e fechar o poço mediante a necessidade. A fim de garantir seu bom funcionamento, o BOP é submetido a políticas de testes durante toda a sua vida útil. Estes testes permitem antever alguns modos de falha e, com isso, prevenir a sua ocorrência em momento indesejável durante a operação. Diferentes políticas de teste são propostas por normas internacionais, tais como API 53, BSEE 250.537 e NORSOK D-010. Dada a sua relação com a dispon...

Gulf of Mexico saltmarsh sediments were heavily impacted by Macondo Well Oil (MWO) released from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Detailed molecular-level characterization of sediment extracts collected over 48 months post-spill highlights the chemical complexity of highly polar, oxygen-containing compounds that remain environmentally persistent. Electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) combined with chromatographic fractionation correlates bulk chemical properties to elemental compositions of oil transformation products as a function of time. Bulk elemental analysis highlights an increase in total oxygen content with time, whereas solid phase extraction (SPE) of carboxylic acid-containing compounds on aminopropyl silica (APS) determines that 6.9% (by weight) of compounds contain at least one carboxylic acid after 9 mos, whereas 9.4% of compounds (by weight) contain at least one carboxylic acid after 48 mos post...

As actividades de controle de poço são fundamentais para a manutenção da segurança das operações de um projecto de perfuração, completação e manutenção de poços. Este trabalho tem como objectivo descrever as principais causas da perda do controle primário e secundário do poço 9-FR-50DP-RJS. Foi realizado um estudo hipotético dedutivo, a recolha de dados por meio bibliográfica documental e o microsoft word para a redação. Os resultados encontrados no presente estudo mostraram que as actividades de exploração de petróleo são de altos riscos de acidentes. É importante meter a segurança em primeiro lugar bem como a detalhada avaliação de riscos e treinamento de técnicos e engenheiros envolvidos nas actividades para que estejam preparados em extremas situações. O estudo de caso, a perfuração do poço 9-FR-50DP-RJS no campo frade permitiu observar as principais causas da perda do controle primário e secundário em águas profundas. O estudo recomenda a realização de futuros trabalhos acerca do tema, treinamento de pessoal bem como desenvolvimento de tecnologias que visam a aumentar a segurança em operações de perfuração, completação e manutenção de poços de petróleo.
Palavras-chave: Controle de poço; segurança de poço; Petróleo.

Seven years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, this study measures the “ultimate” cost of the disaster. This study compiles all the costs to be borne by BP, which include charges and expenses directly related to the spill, the various fines and penalties to be paid, reimbursements and recoveries from other parties, securities‐related charges, and hidden costs. This study documents an ultimate cost to BP of $144.89 billion in the United States, which is more than two times larger than the $62.59 billion BP reported in its income statement. This study provides details on the computation. The sharp increase is due to the inclusion of other categories of costs related to the oil spill, including the $19.33 billion committed by BP in a global settlement in April 2016; the contingent liabilities of $700 million, the settlements of $175 million with the Securities and Exchange Commission; legal fees of $680 million, and the hidden costs of $61.41 billion that was not reportable under t...

Objectives Despite a rise in automation, workers in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industry are potentially exposed to various chemicals through inhalation while performing routine job duties. Many factors contribute to the degree of exposure experienced in this setting. The study objective was to characterize the impact of workplace conditions, anthropometric variability, and task orientation on exposure for a simulated routine operations task. Methods A chemical exposure laboratory simulation study was designed to evaluate the dependent variable of chemical exposure level in the breathing zone for methane and sulfur hexafluoride. The independent variables were (i) posture of the worker, (ii) worker anthropometry, (iii) process configuration, and (iv) gas density. Results Pipe height was a significant predictor of gas concentration measured in the breathing zone when located in a position that encouraged the gas to enter the breathing zone of the worker. Wor...

When spilled in the environment, oil frequently interacts with fine mineral particles to form aggregates. This process contributes to the natural shoreline restoration process as the residual oil remains mobile and becomes more accessible to oil-degrading biota. Studies have been undertaken to accelerate this mechanism of natural oil dispersion as an oil spill countermeasure (e.g., surf-washing). Mixing energy (waves) has been considered a key factor controlling the formation of oil-mineral fine aggregates. While most laboratory studies have used strong mixing energy to induce the formation of oil-mineral fine aggregates, they have also been observed to occur in the environment under moderate levels of agitation. To test this hypothesis, experiments were undertaken in mesocosms, recreating a sandy shoreline environment subject to identical levels of moderate wave activity and tidal movement. Microcosm experiments with oiled sediments amended with nutrients and bacteria have been con...

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an important source of oil for the United States and Mexico. There has been growing interest, particularly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in characterizing the fungal diversity of the GoM and identifying isolates for use in the bioremediation of petroleum in the event of another spill. Most studies have focused on light crude oil bioremediation processes, while heavy crude oil (HCO) and extra-heavy crude oil (EHCO) have been largely ignored. In this work, we evaluated the ability of fungal isolates obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Mexican economic exclusive zone (EEZ) of the GoM to degrade HCO (16–20° API) and EHCO (7–10° API). Alternaria sp., Penicillium spp., and Stemphylium sp. grew with HCO as the sole carbon source. Remarkably, Alternaria sp. was the only isolate able to grow with EHCO as the sole carbon source, degrading up to 25.6% of the total EHCO and 91.3% of the aromatic fraction, as demonstrated by gas chromatography analysis of...

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an important source of oil for the United States and Mexico. There has been growing interest, particularly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in characterizing the fungal diversity of the GoM and identifying isolates for use in the bioremediation of petroleum in the event of another spill. Most studies have focused on light crude oil bioremediation processes, while heavy crude oil (HCO) and extra-heavy crude oil (EHCO) have been largely ignored. In this work, we evaluated the ability of fungal isolates obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Mexican economic exclusive zone (EEZ) of the GoM to degrade HCO (16–20° API) and EHCO (7–10° API). Alternaria sp., Penicillium spp., and Stemphylium sp. grew with HCO as the sole carbon source. Remarkably, Alternaria sp. was the only isolate able to grow with EHCO as the sole carbon source, degrading up to 25.6% of the total EHCO and 91.3% of the aromatic fraction, as demonstrated by gas chromatography analysis of...