Who ever could have seen this coming (well, besides the DFHs, real Dems, and other communist types)...?
From the WSJ: Experts: Oil May Be Leaking at Rate of 25,000 Barrels a Day in Gulf
WASHINGTON—The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could be leaking at a rate of 25,000 barrels a day, five times the government's current estimate, industry experts say.
Basing their calculations on government data and standard industry measurement tools, the experts said the Gulf spill may already rival the historic 1969 Santa Barbara, Calif., and 1989 Exxon Valdez disasters.
Ian MacDonald, professor of oceanography at Florida State University who specializes in tracking ocean oil seeps from satellite imagery, said there may already be more than 9 million gallons of oil floating in the Gulf now, based on his estimate of a 25,000 barrel-a-day leak rate. That's compared to 12 million gallons spilled in the Valdez accident.
Look, I'm just a med student here (studying for the USMLE step I), but by my math, 25,000 barrels/day is 5x bigger than 5,000 barrels/day, which is 5x bigger than 1,000 barrels/day. Which was the original estimate. In just a few days, we may already have spilled 75% as much oil as the Exxon Valdez accident.
Did I mention that the article states that it may take another 90 days to cap the leak?
Interior Department officials said it may take 90 days to cap the leaking well. If the 25,000 barrels a day is accurate and it leaks for 90 days, that's 2.25 million barrels or 94.5 million gallons.
So 94.5 million gallons divided by 12 million gallons is approximately ~7.9. Stated another way, This spill will probably be an order of magnitude larger than the Valdez spill.
Right about now, I could say something like... Gee wouldn't it have been awesome if President Obama hadn't epically pandered to teabaggers and their ilk and kept the moral high ground. What a "game-changer" that might have been for this political climate. Having successfully predicted and denounced the disastrous practice that caused the greatest environmental disaster of our time.
But I won't. Because this is a fucking disaster. And it sucks. And President Obama (who has been pretty good so far), I hope you learned your lesson. When you lie down with dogs like oil companies and Republicans, expect to get some fleas. (And for the other USMLE-takers out there, Yersinia pestis).
Update: Note that 25,000 barrels/day = >1,000,000 gallons a day. Take your pick.
Update 2: I also recommend Brainwrap's diary. It turns out that the spill could get even worse, up to 150,000 barrels a day (6 million gallons) if the wellhead bursts off. ((Would that be like blowing your aortic valve??? Ok too much USMLE studying already!))