8 Facts about the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill You Need to Know ...

Photo Credit: ansy

April 20 is also Hitler’s Birthday! How ironic, right? The oil spill started on April 20, 2010 with an explosion occurring on the Transocean Deepwater Horizon Rig or the Deepwater Horizon for short. It is a fifth generation, dynamic positioned submersible oil rig. It is owned by Transocean.

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The explosion injured seventeen workers on the platform and eleven of them are missing. Those eleven that are missing have been presumed dead. This isn’t mentioning all of the critters that have died and are suffering.

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On April 22, 2010, two days after the big explosion, the oil rig sank. This caused a big oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico. It happened fifty or so miles from the coast of Venice, Louisiana. Right now, oil is still seeping into the wetlands of Louisiana. It could be months before this oil is contained.

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The deepwater wellhead, which is the source of the oil is said to be five thousand feet below the surface of the ocean.

Photo Credit: BP America

The marine life and wildlife habitats have been devastated. This has put the population of mammals (Sperm Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins and Fin Whales), Turtles and fish (Sailfish, Tuna, etc) as well as birds in a lot of danger.

Photo Credit: BP America

The United States government has put the responsibility on BP. The Deepwater Horizon alone was worth over five hundred and sixty million dollars. The cost to clean up this big mess on the water is set at around 12.5 billion dollars. BP will have to pay this price alone.

Photo Credit: ingridtaylar

Wow, I didn’t expect this one! Do you know gambling websites? Many of them are now placing odds on which species are going to become extinct first because of this oil problem. Isn’t this sad?

Photo Credit: twdbth

The Gulf Coast is a big hurricane area. If a storm blows through, could you imagine what this is going to do? Oil being amongst a hurricane can make it even more powerful because the crude that is on the surface of the water equals rising temperature for the water surrounding it. This could cause a powerful hurricane, because they love warm water.

Interested in volunteering to help? Call 1-866-448-5816. Take note that if you do not have certain training or certification to work with animals or birds, they may not accept you as a volunteer. HOWEVER, even if you do not have training and you are a local person, they may have a volunteer job for you. Isn’t this sad? Do you have any other volunteer information to tell us about?

Top Photo Credit: Eric "Claptøn" Nelsøn