Oil Estimates
May 5th, 2010 by Mike VasilindaUsing satellite pictures and sophisticated computations, an FSU professor says the Gulf gusher has already exceeded the oil spewed from the Exxon Valdez. Dr. Ian MacDonald is part of a scientific team organized by the state university system to help manage the oil spill. MacDonald says resources are scarce so accurate information is important.
“The better idea we have about how much there is and how that is distributed, we’ll know where to deploy what are limited assets,” MacDonald said. “We don’t have enough boom to cover the whole Gulf. I mean, they talk about a million feet of boom, well that’s about 200 miles. So we’ve got 200 miles of boom barriers that we can put out and we’ve got a big, long coastline.”
The Valdez spilled an estimated 11 million gallons in Alaska. MacDonald says at best, those fighting the oil slick will be able to recover just 15 percent of the spill, leaving natural forces to dissipate the oil.
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