Will there be anything left alive?

[Syrinx]

I haven't been literally crying out loud, but only because I'm not the most emotive person. But inside it is tearing me up. As I was growing up, I enjoyed a couple of weeks of play each year on the magnificent Gulf of Mexico. And an occasional weekend, walking the white-sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, and Pensacola.

As the oil spews into the water, without restraint, and with no hope in sight, millions and millions of gallons of petroleum continue to pour into the Gulf Of Mexico.

Is the end of the Gulf Of Mexico here? No more wildlife?

Is the entire Gulf going to be one giant "dead zone?"

And what about the oceans at large? Is it going to kill the entire ocean?

Man, I'm pretty depressed about this shit.

[Scuba]

1. Me too, Syrinx...

...I've never been so pessimistic about anything in my whole life.

[cornermouse]

2. I don't know.

I've wondered the same thing about the Gulf and yes, I've alternated between anger and depression.

After watching a excerpt from one of yesterday's shows this morning, my limited understanding is that BP is only going to have to pay for oil that hits land. Supposedly they were pumping dispersant into it as it came out of the leak for several days at least. The dispersant is supposed to make it break apart and settle on the floor of the ocean without ever reaching shore (although looking at the plume I am tempted to wonder how long it will float and pollute before it finally settles to the ocean floor) and being added to the onshore oil that BP will be fined for so they plan to control the cost of their fine.

[Syrinx]

4. I think the dispersants are only cosmetic and cause a lot of harm

I don't know much about this stuff, but it seems to me that dispersants are a bad idea. They don't get rid of the oil, but just hide it. Plus, they're even more poisonous than the oil.

[RKP5637]

5. So true, the dispersants are an attempt to make it out of sight, out of mind, but

not better. Humans are surely killing off the living earth bit by bit and eventually we will be one of the extinct species. The BS runs pretty deep that this will be OK, but it only requires minimal logic to see otherwise.

Damn, mankind is an ignorant species. It has nothing to do with intelligence, mankind is mostly an ignorant species. If money and oil weren't king, most of these fools would be run out of town.

[cornermouse]

7. I agree. Dispersants are a bad idea.

The whole thing has been sickening.

[Dr Morbius]

8. The dispersants I suspect will kill more marine life than the oil.

Enough dispersant dumped into the ocean would undoubtedly kill all life in the sea. Given that, why is BP being allowed to dump ANY of it? I'd rather see the oil hit the land than get mixed with this extremely toxic stuff.

[bdamomma]

10. those dispersants are killing alot of marine life and also making

workers sick, BP should suck on their own dispersants.

[blue neen]

3. It's equal to a nuclear war attack on the Gulf.

The only things that will be left will be some type of cockroach and Dick Cheney. Come to think of it, that's the same species.

[Dr Morbius]

11. How dare you insult the noble cockroach so! Have you no shame?

:P

[NNN0LHI]

6. Imagine being an Iraqi knowing Shock and Awe was coming and there was nothing they could do about it

We Shocked and Awed ourselves this time.

Don

[Syrinx]

9. yep

[KharmaTrain]

12. A Little Proportion Here...

The Gulf is a large body of water...very deep as well. In many stretches of the deep water there are few creatures...and the damage is not as great as it will be in the coastal areas. This is where birds take off from and scoop up the tainted fish who have devoured the poisoned jellyfish...thus the urgency to keep this slick as far away from the shoreline as possible.

The lasting damage will be to those who live off the Gulf's bounty...fisherman, sportsman and tourism. Not to downplay the scope of this catastrophe and the damage that will occur, but Mother Nature is quite resillant and the seas and oceans are very large places. It may take years (barring any other disasters) and the eco-system will adjust. The Exxon Valdez didn't destroy the wildlife in that part of the world...and I see nature correcting what man has created.

[BeFree]

13. First

No one should compare Alaska with the gulf of Mexico.

The GOM is an almost closed system and with the dispersants the majority of the oil is sub-surface, leading to the largest body of polluted, toxic water we have ever seen.

The eastern Gulf will become a dead zone. The keys are going to get hurt really bad.
Eventually, the gulf will drain into the Atlantic which is a 1000 times larger and much more able to survive.

The eastern gulf will never 'recover". Well maybe in a 1000 years, it might. For now, the gulf will only be good for drilling for more oil.

The economies of the coastal communities, dependent on tourism, are going to die a long slow painful death. The people of the gulf who fished for a living are going to have to move to Alaska if they remain in that business.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Prince William Sound Was Very Closed...

Far moreso than this situation. The Valdez toxic cargo let loose in shallow waters and quickly hit the beaches and inlets that created all sorts of ecological havoc with the local flora and fauna. However, it has recovered...the area hasn't turned into a dead zone. While oil is still found, nature has recovered, the world continues to revolve.

This isn't to downplay the damage that is occuring, but saying that the entire Gulf will become a dead zone is speculative at best at this point. The Mexican spill of 1979 didn't turn it into a "dead zone"...and while there are sure to be short-term ramifications, the predictions of doom and gloom are a bit premature...and I don't see it backed up with much more than speculation.

After the accident at Chernobyl, scientists were sure that area would remain a dead zone for centuries. Instead wildlife is flourishing in the area especially in the absence of humans. Yes, the area remains contaminated, but adjust they have. Again, a bit of scale here...the Gulf is a huge body of water where trade winds and ocean currents move the water around. I'm more concerned about the inland waters and how the oil could have a longer effect.

Regarding the economy, this is something that BP will have to be held accountable for. I see tourism rebounding faster than other industries in that region. Yes, people will be staying away this year and maybe next, but I do believe this gusher will be capped and the Gulf will rebound.

[Dr Morbius]

15. Sure, nature will recover. In time. In the same way the market corrects itself:

just as some investors lose their shirts, many species will starve. There will be death on a massive scale. Now, life itself will return, eventually; life is like that. Pervasive. But what form that life will take, such as superbugs completely resistant to all known toxins or three-eyed fish, we can't say. Not all forms of life are benevolent; see the Republican party for examples.

And in the meantime, there's a lot less food because huge chunks of the food chain are being killed off. Yes, eventually the gulf will recover, but the length of time it takes and in what direction that recovery goes is entirely dependent on what we do.

[lonestarnot]

17. Oh sure sure sure. In your dreams.

[tavalon]

16. I think the Gulf is lost, I don't know how much damage it will do worldwide

Hurricanes, though, may change everything.

[DailyGrind51]

18. Only the continuing delusion that "business" can regulate itself, unfortunately.

[waronbanks]

19. For me it is seriously depressing

My children loved the beach. Florida especially. And now I think that they will see that destroyed, maybe never to be visited again in their lifetimes. Who knows. I am as hopeless about this nations future as any time in my 52 years. Utter despair sets in as I watch this corporate destruction of our nations food supply and peoples way of life. Its absolutely horrible.

And we have not even come close to the carnage and rage this is ultimately going to unleash. Added to the unemployment and financial mess, this nightmare scenario could very well tip this nation into chaos.

America's history is now "before the oil" and "after the oil" and the after is a very scary prospect as this endless geyser of oil spews its poison into our beloved Gulf Coast.