BP Oil Spill

Summery

            It’s finally over! The well has been capped, after the BP oil rig exploded and caught fire April 20^th; in the Gulf of Mexico , causing one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history. The federal government officially claimed the well as dead on September 19, 2010. BP drilled a relief well 18,000 ft beneath the surface of the ocean and pumped cement into it. This created a final seal that will prevent any oil or gas from escaping the well. A retired coast guard office, who led the federal spill response, said that the well will cause no more harm to the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists recently found out about a new underwater plume of oil and found a thick layer of oily sediment on the floor of the ocean. This plume stretches for dozens of miles and in all directions, across the sea floor. The oil however is not staying down. It started to resurface and wash up upon the shore of the gulf and the beaches of Florida.  This could very well continue for many years.  Shrimp fishing in the gulf has come to a standstill and even if shrimp are caught, people are refusing to buy. This oil spill is affecting many people’s lives and is horrible. There also have been reports of new illnesses caused by the oil and the chemicals used to clean it up. An upside other than the capping of the well is that microbes are consuming the oil without depleting enough oxygen to create dead zones; which are areas in the ocean that marine life cannot survive in. It is clear that the full extent of the damage done by the oil spill won’t be known for many years; there is no telling what will happen to the animals in the surrounding areas and the long term effects on the species that live there.

Opinion:
                  I think that it is great that the rig is capped that way no more pollution is escaping into the ocean. We still have a huge mess to clean up but at least it isn't going to get any worse. The people who capped it did it great and succeeded. It did take a little bit long but at least the mess can start to be cleaned up. I am very glad that the well is capped.

1. Why did it take so long to cap?

2. How many gallons of oil were released into the ocean?

3. How much damage has been done?

4. How long will it take to clean the rest up?

5. Will we be seeing the affects from this spill forever?

South Africa Iron Age 'threatened'

Summary:

Within the last 7 years, archaeologists have been studying an specific coal mine in South Africa. The studies have shown that if mining continues, it could potentially the World Heritage Site close to where the mine is being developed. When they began studying this area, they found that this site dates back to the Iron Age that occurred about 10,000 years ago. With just over 20,000 people in the area of the mine, they're going to need resources, and it's very dangerous if they continue the developing of the mine. This mine would develop just about 28,000 jobs and it has a chance of not only destroying the land but also getting rid of the history of the Mapungubwe who resided in this exact area.

Questions:

1. What could be done to prevent the destroying of the World Heritage Site?

2. Why do you think that the coal mine could be a potential threat to the site?

3. Why do you think that the developers want to risk building the mine?

4. What type of pollution do you think that the coal mine would cause to the area?

5. What kind of problems could occur due to the pollution?