What if BP can't plug the oil well in the Gulf?

[Gearjoneser]

Every time I check the news and see this seemingly unfixable disaster, with X amount of barrels of oil spilling into the ocean daily, I sometimes wonder what will happen if that hole can't be plugged.

Describe worst case scenarios.

[Blue Calx]

Every time I check the news and see this seemingly unfixable disaster, with X amount of barrels of oil spilling into the ocean daily, I sometimes wonder what will happen if that hole can't be plugged.

Describe worst case scenarios.

Hurricane season ---> slick gets flung inland and coats roadways ---> transportation shutdown

I hope it's just my wild imagination...

[Lucid_Lunatic]

Describe worst case scenarios.

Jesus will have a hard time keeping his balance when he comes back?

[CTN]

it could change the viscosity of the Atlantic in the Gulf area. This could change the way the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic current operates, and could lock up the engine that keeps the Earth's weather as stable as it has been for the past several hundred years.

[Blue Calx]

Jesus won't be able to walk on water without slipping when he comes back

..and the first folks to wash his feet will probably be a bunch of environmental science hippies. Personally, I'm hoping for a Superman T-shirt to top it off.

[wixedmords]

I don't understand why they can't just drop something large wide and heavy down on it.

Oh, yeah, they wouldn't be able to use it again. That's why.

[Jonny R]

That Segway inventor guy will invent a new boat engine that has a skimming device on the front of the boat and runs on a combination of oil and seawater?

[loudriver23]

The ocean will fill with toxic, and possibly volatile gases. Eventually lightening will strike setting off a massive explosion that will split the earth into 7 pieces. These pieces will pick up speed as they hurdle towards the sun and will shall all be DOOMED!

[loudriver23]

As for solving the problem, they should just use a few thousand ShamWOW's and sop up the gulf which should make the repairs easier.

[crusty philtrum]

The ocean will fill with toxic, and possibly volatile gases. Eventually lightening will strike setting off a massive explosion that will split the earth into 7 pieces. These pieces will pick up speed as they hurdle towards the sun and will shall all be DOOMED!

This exact same thing happened in 1969 and again in 1976. It wasn't widely reported.

Both times the issue was solved using large cable ties.

[Jessie Sammler]

(Did you guys really think you were getting away without one of these posts?)

[HamerPlyr]

As for solving the problem, they should just use a few thousand ShamWOW's and sop up the gulf which should make the repairs easier.

You know the Germans always make great stuff. 'Cause we can't do this all day... There's your mildew. That is gonna smell! Are you getting this, camera guy?

[Gearjoneser]

it could change the viscosity of the Atlantic in the Gulf area. This could change the way the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic current operates, and could lock up the engine that keeps the Earth's weather as stable as it has been for the past several hundred years.

Getting back on topic, that's probably one of the worst case scenarios.
Throwing off the balance of nature, screwing up the Gulf Stream, and causing strange weather patterns, because the ocean can't repair that damage.

Just wait till all the migrating birds try to fly north, when 3/4 of them have died on the shores.

I can only imagine what will happen to the Florida and Louisiana coast, next time a hurricane throws all that oil onto the sand.

Worst case scenario....what if they try to plug it, and it ruptures so wide that it empties the entire reserve into the ocean, filling it with millions of barrels?

[ginormous]

OH boy... the price of gas is gonna spike hard on Mem'l Day. Anyone taking action on $5+/gal? Welcome to the rest of the world, America.

[Stratman]

Beach bums will use sea-oil to tan deeper!

[Stratman]

Joke you don't want to say at BP....



"What's up, slick?"

[CapoFirstFret]

There's a Mississippi and Alabama coast in between these two that are already in extremely poor shape due to Katrina+lack of popular attention from the media. These areas have *barely* started living life as semi-normal again.

I'm not looking forward to where all this is gonna end up. Being only 5 hours from the coast, I'm sure my area (an extremely important farming area of the state) will see the aftermath in the effect of the purity and quality of the rain that falls on crops this summer. I'm hoping it doesn't do anything crazy and cause disastrous effects on the farmers in this region. They're struggling enough as it is.

Getting back on topic, that's probably one of the worst case scenarios.
Throwing off the balance of nature, screwing up the Gulf Stream, and causing strange weather patterns, because the ocean can't repair that damage.

Just wait till all the migrating birds try to fly north, when 3/4 of them have died on the shores.

I can only imagine what will happen to the Florida and Louisiana coast, next time a hurricane throws all that oil onto the sand.

Worst case scenario....what if they try to plug it, and it ruptures so wide that it empties the entire reserve into the ocean, filling it with millions of barrels?

[ratherdashing]

Worst case scenario: we learn nothing from this disaster and continue extracting and burning fossil fuels at the same rate as today, instead of coming up with an energy source that doesn't whip the ecosystem like a rented mule.

[newking70]

i heard the when the russians had a deep oil leak back in the 70s, they used a small nuclear charge to close it........but they fiddle while it gets worse..

[Gingrel]

Worst case scenario: we learn nothing from this disaster and continue extracting and burning fossil fuels at the same rate as today, instead of coming up with an energy source that doesn't whip the ecosystem like a rented mule.

This.