I have questions about the Gulf Coast situation. Oil has reached land and is making its way into the marshes. I've read some of the remediation suggestions. Burning the oil off, etc.
What I want to know is what will, or can, nature do?
This will be a short diary to hopefully generate discussion.
Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez spill there's still oil on the beaches.
- How does the climate in the Gulf as opposed to Alaska affect the region's possible recovery? Temperature and humidity. Will this speed up nature's recovery?
Am I wrong is supposing that the Alaska coast is more static than the Gulf Coast?
- Will the natural drainage of North America's largest river system help flush the oil from the marshes and wetlands? If so, how can that be optimized?
- How does the use of dispersants affect natural processes of oil degradation?
- Can nature, or man, put enough of a brake on the effects of the oil to save the coast's marshes and wetlands?
I have lots of questions but these are the big ones. Is there an environmental engineer in the house?