Thanks to those who have replied on and off list so far. I want to clarify
that I'm not necessarily interested in ideas/solutions on how to stop the
well from flowing (and yes, it's depressing that they should not have had
such solutions worked out long, long ago) but more on how do ecologists and
conservationists mitigate the long-term (or short-term) impacts to the
overall Gulf ecosystem. IS there anything that can be done to minimize death
and disease, or do we just have to sit idly by and watch things die, then
research the impacts?
Things like booms prevent oil from washing into sensitive coastal estuaries
but are there actually methods to save this next generation of fish and
shrimp eggs or larvae? Are there actually innovative ways to save them or
are they just all going to die (those directly impacted that is)? Are there
ways to boost the next generation?
I heard someone on the Deepwater Horizon Facebook feed that they should use
the indigenous microbes to help break down the oil. I know this has been
done elsewhere. ARE there oil-eating/degrading microbes indigenous to the
Gulf? Are they already used commercially? I haven't seen this anywhere in
the news.
So these are the kinds of things I'm curious about... and want to write
about.
Wendee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendee Holtcamp, M.S. Wildlife Ecology ~ @bohemianone
Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian
http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com
http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com
~~ 6-wk Online Writing Course Starts May 15 or Jun 19 ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Im Animal Planets news blogger - http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news
-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Tyson [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 9:14 PM
To: Wendee Holtcamp; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Gulf spill again - solutions?
WH
These are dangerous intellectual waters. The environmental contexts of the
two sites are very different, and the petroleum/biology interactions are
likely to be different.
We need a Challenger-type investigation, but one with a Feynman in charge
instead of a Rogers. The "fixes" are likely to be more cosmetic than
substantive, but sold as if they were. Find and "expert" that says heshe
doesn't know a lot, and you will more likely get the truth. The truth is
likely to be more along the lines of the dissembling than the
miracle-making.
The obvious scandal is, I suspect, in the window-dressing-type "technology"
was sold on a presumptive, untested hypothesis. The devil (and the real
news) is likely to be in the details. For example, just how was the shut-off
valve system designed? Somebody who can't talk, at some engineering position
along the chain of command is likely to have the key, and may have even
warned against the system. I further suspect that the numbers weren't done
or were fudged on things like the failure-scenario modeling on the design.
The issue of the effects of the use of dispersants at depth upon sea life,
including reef-type life-forms like corals on subsurface geologic
formations. Check the applicable departments in regional universities (you
probably already have).
Go get 'em!
WT
PS: Sound policy needs to be based on sound science, not pseudoscience
controlled by the marketing departments. If you ever want to do a story on
wildfire, I might be able to be of more help on how the prevention and
control efforts are largely "made for TV." Undersea drilling is not my area,
but this has all the earmarks of an elaborate flim-flam. Asking questions
that elicit evasive answers is a good way to separate the sheep from the
goats.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wendee Holtcamp" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 3:37 PM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Gulf spill again - solutions?
> I'm working on a 2nd piece about the spill and gathering research for a
> magazine feature due in a few months. Reading all the news, the
> never-ending
> geyser of oil, the hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemical
> dispersants
> being unceremoniously spewed into the ocean to "help" feels a bit
> overwhelming. Likewise, the cleanup response and attempts to cap the wells
> seem underwhelming in comparison, despite the fact that I'm sure hundreds
> (or thousands) are working hard around the clock at times to study,
> document, clean, and try to cap the well.
>
> What positive news is there? What solutions are being studied here or have
> been studied in past oil spills to minimize long-term ecological impacts
> to
> marine ecosystems?
>
> Did anyone here study the Valdez spill? What worked, versus what didn't,
> and
> though this is a totally different ecosystem, what can be learned?
>
> I have contacted a dozen scientists I've found on Google, from abstracts
> etc
> but getting few replies. I'm sure everyone doing anything related to oil
> is
> probably tapped out. But in the chance that someone here has any info -
> please share any stories - whether you're doing clean up, or have done
> research on how to help fish and fisheries resources or marine mammals
> recover in a particular region after a spill. I'm looking for something to
> give hope.
>
> I kind of like the hair being collected idea, Who came up with that? But I
> want other ideas too.
> Wendee
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wendee Holtcamp, M.S. Wildlife Ecology ~ @bohemianone
> Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian
> http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com <http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com/>
> http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com
> <http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com/>
> ~~ 6-wk Online Writing Course Starts May 15 or Jun 19 ~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> I'm Animal Planet's news blogger - http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news
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