Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill
Main article:Deepwater Horizon oil spill
On April 21,2010,the Deepwater Horizon oil platform,located in the Mississippi Canyon about 40 miles off the Louisiana coast,suffered a catastrophic explosion; it sank a day-and-a-half later.[14] Although initial reports indicated that relatively little oil had leaked,by April 24,it was discovered that approximately 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) of oil per day were issuing from the wellhead,about a mile below the surface on the ocean floor.[15] On April 29,the U.S.government revealed that approximately 5,000 barrels of oil per day (210,000 gallons),five times the original estimate,were pouring into the Gulf from the wellhead.[16] The resulting oil slick quickly expanded to cover hundreds of square miles of ocean surface,posing a serious threat to marine life and adjacent coastal wetlands,and to the livelihoods of Gulf Coast shrimpers and fishermen.[17] Coast Guard Rear Adm.Sally Brice O’Hare stated that the U.S.government will be “employing booms,skimmers,chemical dispersants and controlled burns” to combat the oil spill.As of May 1,2010,the oil spill cleanup efforts are underway,but hampered by rough seas and the "tea like" consistency of the oil.As of May 27,2010,USGS had revised the estimate of the leak from 5,000 barrels a day to 12,000-19,000 barrels a day.[18]
