31 May 2010
The Oil Approaches
Posted by Dan Satterfield
Model data from the MM5 model we use in the weather office. The arrows are surface wind vectors. The southerly flow will push the oil toward the coast over the next few days.
The oil gets closer. One report has it less than 17 miles off of Dauphin Island Al. The model guidance is all showing a south to SW flow at the surface and this will push the oil in a NE direction. NOAA’s ocean current models are similar.
Forecast of oil at Noon Tuesday. Black line is the uncertainty envelope. Click image for larger version- from NOAA
See the previous post for more on the oil and related info. Samantha Joy is a scientist with the Univ. of Georgia who is on the scene collecting data. She has an exc. blog with information on what is being seen beneath the surface.
Dan
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
I hope we are attempting everything possible (booms, etc.) to protect our beautiful Alabama beaches! I would thnk two layers of booms and then: I even saw a video where they used hay(yes, hay from the field) to absorb oil if it gets that close.