As hurricane season looms, forecasters, scientists and residents along the Gulf Coast worry that a major storm could make the oil spill worse.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a hurricane, or a succession of them, may bring oil up from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico and then push it ashore. Forecasters say a season with multiple storms could send oil farther inland and spread it as far as Cape Hatteras, N.C.

"To think a storm surge could resuscitate a huge sum of oil (from the deep) and deposit it on land is truly catastrophic," says Joe Jaworski, mayor of Galveston, Texas, a city hit by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Economics, Politics • Energy, Natural Resources • * General Interest • Weather

1. francis wrote: “The sky is falling.” May 20, 8:48 am | [comment link]

2. Sidney wrote: It’s been known for centuries that oil on water has a calming effect on waves.  I wonder what effect 100 million gallons of oil in the Gulf would have on the waves from a hurricane. May 20, 5:20 pm | [comment link]

---

© 2013 Kendall S. Harmon. All rights reserved.

For original material from Titusonenine (such as articles and commentary by Dr. Harmon) permission to copy and distribute free of charge is granted, provided this notice, the logo, and the web site address are visible on all copies. For permission for use in for-profit publications, please email KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com

<< Back to main page

<< Return to Mobile view (headlines)