Oil spill, tropical storms, and hurricanes..

[C.Ann]

Yesterday someone said something to me that I'm not sure is correct, so I thought I would ask about it here..

It was said that if a bad tropical storm or hurricane passed over the area where the oil spill occured, it could literally "rain oil" on the beaches and inland.. Is that an accurate statement?

And if not, what would be the ramifications of such storms?

Thanks..

 

[ols386]

I've wondered about that too.

It seems like if the hurricane is traveling over the water, that it would suck up at least some of the oil, and then when it hits land, there would be oil in the hurricane that would be dropped into whatever region the storm passes over.

 

[NotUrsula]

Not really. Oil won't evaporate and end up in the storm clouds. You could get a bit of it dropped if you got a waterspout as part of the storm.

It certainly could come inland on a strong storm surge, then end up going down storm drains and flushing out into freshwater lakes and rivers, however. In sufficient concentration it will kill fish and vegetation by affecting the oxygen content of the water.

 

[skw444]

While I don't know about it "raining" oil, here is what I did find:


The Effect of a Hurricane on the Oil Spill
The oil slick itself will be dispersed and degraded by its contact with the hurricane. The churning and mixing of the oil into the sea water causes the process of biodegradation to accelerate. In addition, the dispersal of the oil by the hurricane may cause it to spread over a larger area. The parts of the oil spill close to the coastline may be driven inland by the storm surge, creating additional problems with the clean up of debris.

Due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the hurricane, one passing to the west of a slick in the Gulf of Mexico can push the oil toward the coast whereas if it passes to the east it is more likely to push the slick back out to sea and away from the coastline.



Read more at Suite101: The Effect of Hurricanes on Oil Spills http://meteorologyclimatology.suite...ect-of-hurricanes-on-oil-spills#ixzz0sAi33Jle

 

[C.Ann]

Not really. Oil won't evaporate and end up in the storm clouds. You could get a bit of it dropped if you got a waterspout as part of the storm.

It certainly could come inland on a strong storm surge, then end up going down storm drains and flushing out into freshwater lakes and rivers, however. In sufficient concentration it will kill fish and vegetation by affecting the oxygen content of the water.

While I don't know about it "raining" oil, here is what I did find:


The Effect of a Hurricane on the Oil Spill
The oil slick itself will be dispersed and degraded by its contact with the hurricane. The churning and mixing of the oil into the sea water causes the process of biodegradation to accelerate. In addition, the dispersal of the oil by the hurricane may cause it to spread over a larger area. The parts of the oil spill close to the coastline may be driven inland by the storm surge, creating additional problems with the clean up of debris.

Due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the hurricane, one passing to the west of a slick in the Gulf of Mexico can push the oil toward the coast whereas if it passes to the east it is more likely to push the slick back out to sea and away from the coastline.



Read more at Suite101: The Effect of Hurricanes on Oil Spills http://meteorologyclimatology.suite...ect-of-hurricanes-on-oil-spills#ixzz0sAi33Jle

Thank you both for that info.. This is such a huge mess.. Let's just hope and pray that the worst case scenarios (worse than what is already happening) don't occur..

 

[dennis99ss]

I have heard of the possibility of "black rain" being discussed, but, since the oil will not evaporate, it would not "rain". I have heard of the possibility of a very strong storm having the ability to "lift" oil and then drop it, but it would not be in the form of rain per se.

 

[Imzadi]

I don't think the reporter meant it literally. Or, she was inaccurate in her description. More likely she meant what skw444 quoted below. That a hurricane would literally push the oil all over the land.

the dispersal of the oil by the hurricane may cause it to spread over a larger area. The parts of the oil spill close to the coastline may be driven inland by the storm surge, creating additional problems with the clean up of debris.

 

[NotUrsula]

Or maybe she did. There is a YouTube video up that purports to be footage of oily rain falling in Louisiana. Knowledgeable people are agreeing that the video is a hoax.