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3 June 2010
Oil Now in Areas Open To Fishing
There are several ways of seeing the extent of the oil slick on the water in the Gulf of Mexico. Visible light is just one way. A better way may very well be to use Synthetic Aperture Radar and look at the Gulf in high frequency radio light. The SAR image to the right is courtesy of CSTARS and the European Space Agency. It shows the oil well. It also …
Where The Oil Will Go- Courtesy NCAR
Some ominous modeling data from the folks at the National Centers For Atmospheric Research (NCAR) today. The used a model to show where ocean currents may take the oil coming up in the Gulf. It’s important to realize that this is not a forecast of where the oil will be, but a model of where the currents would normally carry it. The NCAR explanation of this is below the video. …
2 June 2010
Oil Slick Spreads Across Gulf- New NASA Image
The latest pass from the NASA Terra Satellite shows the oil slick has spread across a huge area of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Every new image shows it spreading. Late word is that the slick is now only 9 miles from Pensacola Beach and this image bears that out. Here is a close up of the image above: Here is our in house model run over the Gulf for …
31 May 2010
The Oil Approaches
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. See the previous post for more on the oil and related info. Samantha Joy is a scientist with the Univ. of Georgia who …
30 May 2010
Oil Approaching Alabama and Other Bad News
Word has it that the oil slick is now just 17 miles off the sugar white sandy beaches of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The ocean currents push the oil and the winds push the ocean. It looks like the oil will be getting very close to the Alabama Coast in the next day or two. In the summer a large high pressure cell develops off the East Coast of America. Meteorologists …
29 May 2010
The Oil Slick in IR- Courtesy The CBS
Satellite images do not see the oil slick in the Gulf very well. IF the sun angle is just right you can see some of it, and it’s huge. The CBS tonight showed a different view. The oily water is slightly cooler than the regular Gulf water. The oil slick shows up well in the Infrared spectrum. This comes as there is growing evidence the attempt to stop the oil …
25 May 2010
Satellite Pass Monday Gets Great View of Oil Spill- HUGE
The oil is as far west as Destin, Florida now but still off shore except in Louisiana. There is some good news. The winds in the gulf will be northerly for a few days and that should keep the oil from Alabama and Mississippi. For now. Keep in mind you are just seeing the thickest oil. It’s actually covering an even larger area than is visible from orbit. The astronauts …
20 May 2010
Some Well Said Facts from America's Top Scientific Body
The top scientific body in the U.S. is the National Academies of Science. It’s the American version of the Royal Society in England, which is the world’s oldest scientific body (Once headed by Sir Isaac Newton). The National Academies today published three reports on climate change. I read one particular passage that was so well put, it was worth a blog post. It’s actually something that I have said many times in posts here. Just …
18 May 2010
Oil Slick Entering the Gulf Loop Current (Trust me, that's bad)
The Gulf Loop current may very well be picking up the oil slick in the Gulf. This would bring the oil down through the Florida Keys and into the Gulf Stream. Eventually passing between Florida and the Bahamas. Oil in this area could cause severe damage to ocean reefs in the Keys and near the Bahamas. The ocean current models show the path of the loop current very well. This …
7 May 2010
Oil and Ash from Space- Update
The upper level winds are not blowing the ash toward the UK today and that is very good news. If they were, there would be widespread cancellations of flights. The cloud is especially thick. The good news is that late today the eruption has become much quieter and the ash is not as high as earlier. Geological experts in Iceland are reporting that there are no signs the eruption will …
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.