Gulf Oil Disaster "Looks Very Scary", Says Astronaut [Pics]

Gizmodo ^ | 19 May 2010 | Gizmodo

[James C. Bennett]

"

 

It looks very scary. It's not good. I really feel... not good about that." That's what the International Space Station Commander, cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, says about the Gulf's oil disaster. This is the last satellite image. Update: New image added.

Captured by NASA's Aqua satellite, the image shows only part of the oil surface, with the Sun shining over. I've exaggerated the image contrast so you can clearly see the extend of the damage:

Oleg is right: It is very scary. [NASA and Space.com] 

[ChiMark]

First of all their is a big difference in the crude oil
of the Exxon Valdez which was heavy crude and this spill which is light sweet.

There are no large scale tides of oil washing ashore!

This is over hyped on purpose.

[chris37]

Thank you that seems much more accurate. I was just at Navarre Beach this weekend, and it was 100% oil free. For whatever reason, those above nasa pics do not show reality.

[James C. Bennett]

What's AL.com?

Satellite image of the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon explosion. (NASA/GSFC: Terra satellite)

From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/19/2903189.htm?section=justin

[Just mythoughts]

I have not read all comments, but I did go to the link and the pictures presented are NOT literal pictures... Somebody is playing mind games... and NO I am NOT diminishing the BamBamKennedy disaster in the gulf!!!!

[smokingfrog]

There is a certain amount of sediment and stuff from the Mississippi River that is there naturally, so I don't know that you can really tell all that much from a satellite photo.

(There's no oil spill in this NASA photo.)

[Just mythoughts]

I’m afraid Rush has really hurt his credibility in all this. I know he was taken out of context to a large extent, and that nature will take care of it on its own in the long run, but in the meantime a lot of people are suffering, and the libs have his comments front and center.

At least Rush has 'credibility' in the first place. Libs are liars and cheats, why would anyone care what they put front and center. This is BamBamKennedy's disaster front and center... Rush has NOT diminished BamBam's disaster, what he has done is to expose how liberals milk a disaster for their own political gain.

[wardaddy]

Freepers can be gullible.

[BamaBlue]

Al.com is local newspaper(s) in Alabama. In this case from the Mobile, AL paper. Since it is a NOAA generated graphic published by a newspaper the real question should be what’s NOAA...

[shield]

Situation Status Map for May 19th, 2010

[vaudine]

Okay! Just how are we going to keep China and Russia, Cuba, and even Angola from drilling in the gulf? Just do like Obama is doing on nukes--saying "Look at us! We are going to get rid of A friend in LA says workers on our rigs have told him they can see China's rigs from some of ours.

Much of this is the fringe enviro's fault. This was a new type of rig and was drilling to the outer limits--pushed out 50 miles to keep our waters pristine and shut up the enviro libs. Drilling, safety, and even capping would have been much easier about 30 miles closer.

The media is hyping this for all they can--what a ruckus about the tar balls, which proved to NOT be from this disaster.

vaudine

[vaudine]

Sorry--my previous post got interrupted just as I started to say Obama's answer to nukes is to say we have gotten rid of ours, guys, now come on and put yours down. Now we say come on guys, we have stopped drilling in the gulf, don't you want to join us?

That is going to work out just like Bam's new plan to talk with "moderate" Hezbollah members to get negotiations going.These are truly the people George Orwell wrote about.

vaudine

[VeniVidiVici]

I’m sorry, I’m just so underwhelmed in so many ways.

Thousands of gallons of crude have been “gushing” for a month and yet all we still see are little bits here and there. Even that Reuters site shows nothing but a glob or two in many of the photos.

Now we see Greenpeace and their minions protesting and taking pics themselves. Now THERE is a credible bunch to correctly report on what they see.

When I see black beaches, thousands of dead birds and thousands of dead fish, THEN I’ll believe it’s a disaster of the magnitude they’ve been forecasting for so long now.

[streetpreacher]

You could sink an Exxon Valdez in the Mississippi and not tell the difference... the water quality might actually improve.

[James C. Bennett]

Bobby Jindal reports that thick oil has hit Louisiana’s coast:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2517164/posts?page=13#13

Perhaps it’s time to explore that nuke option to seal the well, LOL.

[dr_lew]

The Aqua image is from yesterday 5/18/10. The white glare and gray sheen are optical effects due to the sun's placement behind the satellite, and the "horrible" appearance extends further south in the complete image. ( All the Aqua and Terra images are taken around astronomical noon. ) Also, you don't get a good raw image every day of a given subject on the ground, since in many cases it's along opposite edges of the image in two successive passes.

Here is the Terra image from today, 5/19/10. Note the very similar appearance further east along the coast of Florida, complete with swirls. Near the leak site, very little is visible except for a brown smudge, which you can see more clearly at higher resolution.

When I saw today's image I actually thought it was the oil slick which had drifted almost to Florida, but I decided it was just clouds. At any rate, you certainly have to be very careful interpreting these images.

[AndyTheBear]

I have worked with a lot of satellite imagery in my career as a software developer with a GIS emphasis. I immediately realized the contrast is bogus. The grey area is a light artifact on water not an oil slick. And the “enhanced” image is simply highlighting a mis perception.

[VeniVidiVici]

Bobby Jindal reports that thick oil has hit Louisiana’s coast

I'm sure Bobby is a fine, upstanding young man.

Trust, but verify.

[James C. Bennett]

Hmm, you’re right.

Thanks for the input!

[dr_lew]

Oops. I linked the Aqua image twice. Here is the Terra image of 5/19/10 that I was referring to.

I should mention that an important factor is the local sun angle. As we approach the summer solstice the sun is nearly overhead at the latitude of the Gulf of Mexico, and this is what creates the effect. Here's another Aqua image over the mid-Atlantic on 5/19/10 showing the same type of effect.

[Kirkwood]

Compare to a NASA photo from early 2009 showing numerous naturally occurring oil seeps in the Gulf.

Never trust a Russian cosmonaut who doesn’t know oil from the natural reflective surface of the Gulf water.

http://geology.com/nasa/oil-seeps/