daniel beltrá
chris graythen
daniel beltrá
daniel beltrá
daniel beltrá
on 20 april 2010, bp’s deepwater horizon drilling rig exploded in the gulf of mexico, killing eleven crewmen and injuring seventeen. over the next 87 days, approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil spread over 68,000 square miles of gulf ocean, making it the world’s largest marine oil spill.
to aid in clean-up efforts, 5,300 vessels of opportunity were hired from around the area. many strategies were used to attempt to clean up the oil, including 411 controlled burns where huge noxious plumes of inky smoke rose out of the fires on the surface of the water.
more controversial and ultimately more destructive than the fires was the use of the toxic chemical corexit, a solvent that breaks down lipid membranes of cells (and appears here as red). despite the epa telling bp to find a less toxic dispersant, ultimately more than 1.8 million gallons were used. studies show the mix of the dispersant and oil creates a highly toxic mix.
layers of crude oil are still spread thick on the ocean floor, radiating far from the wellhead site. scientists have determined that up to 75 per cent of the oil from bp’s disaster remains in the gulf environment. more than 600 miles of coastline have been affected, with tar balls continuing to wash ashore.
photos by chris graythen and daniel beltrá
from The 65 Connection | Hot New Mixtapes http://ift.tt/1DbkE03
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