Scientists find plumes of oily aerosols downwind of the BP oil spill
March 12th, 2011 - 4:31 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Mar 12 (ANI): Scientists at the University of Miami (UM) have discovered two plumes of oil-based pollutants downwind of the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill.
The research team offers new insight into the mechanism by which the crude oil travelled from the sea surface to the atmosphere.
The team collected data of atmosphere gas and aerosol concentrations during two flights, on June 8 and June 10, aboard a specially equipped NOAA WP-3 Orion aircraft.
“By having such a well-defined source of the evaporating oil we were able to investigate how aerosols form in the atmosphere,” said Elliot Atlas.
The data revealed that two plumes were released into the atmosphere by the surface oil and from the smoke associated with the burning of oil during cleanup efforts.
The first was a narrower three-kilometer (1.8-mile) wide hydrocarbon plume downwind of the spill site. The researchers suggest that this was the result of “direct evaporation of fresh oil on the sea surface.”
The second, a larger 40-kilometer (24-mile)-wide plume, contained higher concentrations of organic aerosols and was “formed from vapors released from the oil and the condensation of their atmospheric oxidation products onto existing particles.”
“These simulations of fresh oil reaching the sea surface and aged oil spreading in a wider area downwind are key to understanding the evaporation processes of more or less volatile hydrocarbon compounds,” said Claire Paris, a biophysical modeler.
“The model predictions that included oil behavior, advection, and wind drift helped link the measured organic aerosols to their source and mechanism of emission.”
This study provides researchers with a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of air pollutants and their secondary chemical products on the environment, human health and global climate change.
“The study also shows the benefit of having the right scientific capabilities available for rapid hazard response,” said Atlas.
The study appears in the March 11 issue of the journal Science. (ANI)
- Gulf spill air pollution could shed light on urban air quality - Mar 11, 2011
- Can clams help clean oil-filled waters? - Feb 27, 2011
- Large, underwater hydrocarbon Gulf plume's origin mapped - Aug 25, 2010
- Satellite data uncover seasonal pollution changes over India - Sep 09, 2010
- Oil munching bacteria not breaking down giant underwater oil-plume - Aug 20, 2010
- Giant Oil Plume Seen In Alabama - May 28, 2010
- Giant Oil Plume Found In Gulf - May 28, 2010
- Underwater robot to collect information about Deepwater Horizon spill - May 30, 2010
- Researchers at the Gulf of Mexico say they've found layer of oil on seafloor - Sep 15, 2010
- Air pollutants from abroad can travel thousands of miles to harm atmosphere - Sep 30, 2009
- 'Oil-munching bacteria' may clean hard-to-reach oil pockets of Gulf spill - Aug 04, 2010
- Is new species of microbe consuming Gulf oil plume? - Aug 25, 2010
- Massive amounts of oil at bottom of Gulf of Mexico: Report - Sep 15, 2010
- Massive deep-sea coral die-off discovered near Gulf of Mexico - Nov 06, 2010
- Sunken ship spewing less oil, say maritime authorities - Aug 09, 2011
Tags: advection, aerosol concentrations, atmospheric oxidation, bp oil spill, cleanup efforts, effects of air pollutants, evaporation processes, fresh oil, global climate change, horizon oil, hydrocarbon compounds, model predictions, oil behavior, organic aerosols, oxidation products, reaching the sea, sea surface, surface oil, volatile hydrocarbon, wind drift