Deepwater Horizon oil spill - May 24, 2010
"NASA's Terra Satellites Sees Spill on May 24
Sunlight illuminated the lingering oil slick off the Mississippi Delta on May 24, 2010. The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image the same day.
Oil smoothes the ocean surface, making the Sun’s reflection brighter near the centerline of the path of the satellite, and reducing the scattering of sunlight in other places. As a result, the oil slick is brighter than the surrounding water in some places (image center) and darker than the surrounding water in others (image lower right). The tip of the Mississippi Delta is surrounded by muddy water that appears light tan. Bright white ribbons of oil streak across this sediment-laden water.
Tendrils of oil extend to the north and east of the main body of the slick. A small, dark plume along the edge of the slick, not far from the original location of the Deepwater Horizon rig, indicates a possible controlled burn of oil on the ocean surface.
To the west of the bird’s-foot part of the delta, dark patches in the water may also be oil, but detecting a manmade oil slick in coastal areas can be even more complicated than detecting it in the open ocean.
When oil slicks are visible in satellite images, it is because they have changed how the water reflects light, either by making the Sun’s reflection brighter or by dampening the scattering of sunlight, which makes the oily area darker. In coastal areas, however, similar changes in reflectivity can occur from differences in salinity (fresh versus salt water) and from naturally produced oils from plants.
Relevante Bilder
Relevante Artikel
Ölpest im Golf von Mexiko 2010Die Ölpest im Golf von Mexiko 2010 wurde durch die Explosion der Ölbohrplattform Deepwater Horizon am 20. April 2010 verursacht. Die vom 20. April bis zum 16. Juli 2010 aus dem Bohrloch im Macondo-Ölfeld in den Golf von Mexiko ausgetretene Ölmenge wird auf 800 Millionen Liter geschätzt; daher gilt der Unfall als eine der schwersten Umweltkatastrophen dieser Art. Ähnlich große Rohölmengen traten im Jahr 1979/80 beim Blowout der Ixtoc-I-Bohrung aus. Mitte 2015 einigte sich das Mineralölunternehmen BP mit der US-Regierung auf Schadensersatzzahlungen in Höhe von insgesamt 18,7 Milliarden US-Dollar, was der höchste Wert in der US-Geschichte ist. .. weiterlesen
2010erDie 2010er-Jahre umfassen die Jahre von 2010 bis 2019. .. weiterlesen