But it was a few days later, at a meeting of Friends of the Everglades, that I was reminded why off shore oil drilling is such a big problem for the Florida peninsula and, yes, the east coast of Florida. We tend to think, here in Miami, that what happens in the Gulf of Mexico can't affect us.
The Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico basically picks up everything floating in the Gulf and sweeps it around the Florida peninsula and up the east coast of Florida where its waters merge with the Gulf Stream. Here's a graphic produced by the UM Rosensteil School, one of the nation's foremost marine science institutions:
Those little arrows explain the sea grass die-off I experienced in the mid and late 1980's in the Marquesa Keys, an hour boat ride south from the tip of Key West. How, I wondered, could Key West and its pollution be influencing the Marquesas? The answer: it wasn't Key West pollution. It was pollution from the Gulf of Mexico.
Matt Schwartz, a leader of Sierra Club in Broward, spoke at the Friends of the Everglades meeting. He noted how sea turtles were showing up on the east coast of Florida slimed with oil tar balls. We used to believe it was just oil tankers cleaning their bilges offshore. Now we know that a lot of pollution is being carried up the east coast of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico. As it is, the Florida peninsula is swimming in a sea of goop. Putting more off shore oil wells close to our coastline is not a sacrifice we should accept.
7 comments:
"Matt Schwartz, a leader of Sierra Club in Broward, spoke at the Friends of the Everglades meeting. He noted how sea turtles were showing up on the east coast of Florida slimed with oil tar balls. We used to believe it was just oil tankers cleaning their bilges offshore. Now we know that a lot of pollution is being carried up the east coast of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico. As it is, the Florida peninsula is swimming in a sea of goop."
Do you have a reference for this? I consider myself pretty well informed on this issue and I have never heard this claim before. Is this his opinion or science? It would be nice if there was a scientific claim rather than a claim of the president of a local chapter of Sierra Club whose credentials are unknown.
The fact that the people in Louisiana and Mississippi (and the Florida panhandle) don't seem to be screaming about oil pollution from offshore rigs where they are much more greatly exposed is the counter argument that would indicate that offshore drilling technology has reduced the risk of pollution dramatically. This is further supported by the people of England, Scotland, Scandinavia, Holland, etc. who all have offshore rigs.
Importing energy is killing this country in many ways. First and foremost, it is screwing up our balance of trade. Secondly, we are importing oil puts more money in the hands of blatant enemies of the US and our western values. These countries include Venezuela, Russia and the middle east players while adding to the corruption of countries like Nigeria.
Finally, there is the moral issue of export our pollution risks to other countries. If our lifestyle manifests environmental risks, shouldn't we bare those risks rather than exporting those risks to what are typically totalitarian or highly corrupt countries where little is done to protect their citizens?
The references to studies linking sea turtles and oil off Florida's Atlantic coast are summarized here:
http://www.seaturtletracking.com/florida.php?page=florida_oil
A full scientific paper on the topic can be found here:
http://www.seaturtletracking.com/pdf/florida/Witherington2002HatchlingsOilPlastic.pdf
See also this pamphlet on tar balls in the eastern Gulf of Mexico jointly prepared by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
http://www.nrt.org/Production/NRT/RRTHome.nsf/resources/RRTIV-Pamphlets/$File/23_RRT4_Tar_Ball_Pamphlet.pdf
Matt Schwartz
Broward Sierra
The more time spent worrying about extraneous matters and potential pollution from afar the less time spent addressing the real issues killing south Fl and the Keys - continuing development in native areas, woeful mismanagement of marine resources, overfishing, boats, ORVs, sewage treatment, etc.
Mr. Schwartz,
Since I decided to read the papers allow me to summarize the salient points.
In the www.seaturtletracking.com paper, in the discussion and conclusion section, I quote: "...analysis of tar samples indicate that oil-transport ships may be a principal origin of the hydrocarbons collected in downwelling lines..." Furthermore, there is no presence of the words "oil platform" or "Gulf of Mexico" in the paper at all.
The tar ball pamphlet quotes a NOAA study that asserts that tar balls originate: 40% from vessels, 11% from natural sources and 49% from shore-side facilities like sewage runoff. It goes on to say that "the likelihood of weathered oil washing ashore on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico is relatively low unless there is a significant spill within the region.
There is still no study quoted that indicates the origins of tar balls in turtles or on the beach are the result off offshore oil production.
"Now we know that a lot of pollution is being carried up the east coast of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico. "
I have read through Matt Schwatz' referenced material and he has no support of this assertion.
First of all - thanks for the good critical discussion here. Questions regarding the environmental safety of new drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico is definitely a topic worth spending time on. Thanks also to Gimleteye for starting the conversation and providing a forum. A good use of the internet.
Here's another quote from the Coast Guard pamphlet relevant to drilling (and tar balls):
Where Do They Come From?
The source is generally believed to originate from offshore petroleum production, drilling, onshore bulk oil storage or production facilities, marine
transportation discharges which includes vessels pumping bilges and tank cleaning, and from sources
such as improper disposal of automotive oil and runoff from storm sewers. However, natural
seepage from the ocean floor is also considered a source.
Here is a study conducted by the Minerals Management Service along with researchers from several universities. It deals with predictions of oil spill trajectories in the Gulf using simulated 'drifters':
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498173&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
Part of the text which accompanies figure 1:
Fig. 1 shows, as representative examples, the
trajectories of the water-following and oil-spill-simulating
drifters during the May 1998 deployments. In May, the
water-following drifters remained predominantly on the
continental shelf, with some moving southward with the
Loop Current, and one of those leaving the Gulf through
the Florida Strait.
The accompanying graphic shows movement from the Gulf, through the Florida Strait and directly up the Atlantic coast.
Another good study to look at is this one from NOAA which examines the impacts of oil spills on mangroves - sensitive to oil and nearly impossible to clean due to dense structure. A single large spill - like the kind from last summer's oil rig blowout off the north coast of Australia - could disrupt the ecosystem of southwest Florida (Everglades National Park and the Ten Thousand Islands), the Florida Keys, and Florida Bay for a generation - or even longer. The ecological and economic consequences are unimaginable.
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/34_mangrove_complete.pdf
I maintain - the risks are far too great and the benefits way too small.
Matt
'And now we know...the rest of the story...'
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