The recent BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico has brought to the fore the principles of potential ecological damage to the Gulf Coast. There is no doubt that the introduction of huge amounts of oil and gas into the ocean causes damage to the environment. The massive effort to mitigate the problem has been, to some extent, successful. Natural physical, chemical and biological processes have also done much to reduce the impact of the disaster.

However, it’s a double-edged sword. It is possible that one biological element (the uncontrolled growth and spread of oil eating bacteria) could pose a long term threat to domestic oil supplies and the entire transportation infrastructure of the United States.

OIL AND GAS SEEPAGE, AND HYDROCARBONS THAT ESCAPE FROM WELLS

Natural oil-gas seeps are relatively common in the Gulf of Mexico and documentation of those seeps has been used to define areas of hydrocarbon accumulation for exploration leasing and drilling. This is a natural process and, to some extent, pollutes the relatively pristine ocean waters.

While incredibly rare, drilling or producing oil and gas wells may release hydrocarbons into the ocean. The recent BP blowout has been disgorging several thousand barrels of oil a day for the past 3 months. This environmental disaster is quite significant, but may not be as devastating as it has been portrayed. The processes of degradation and dispersal begin as soon as the oil and gas come in contact with the sea water.

PROCESSES OF DEGRADATION AND DISPERSAL

As the oil and gas are released from the confining pipe in the well or from the sediment, they start to expand. Some portions dissolve in the sea water, some are attacked by microbes and never make it to the surface and all of it is mixed with the sea water.

From the BP well:

“The light crude began to deteriorate the moment it escaped at high pressure, and then it was zapped with dispersants to speed the process along. The oil that did make it to the ocean's surface was broken up by 88-degree water, baked by 100-degree sun, eaten by microbes, and whipped apart by wind and waves.”

Crude oil on the sea weathers in stages.

“As the oil moves through the water column, before it reaches the sea surface, soluble components such as BTEX, the most toxic compounds, dissolve into the water column. These compounds may constitute 2 to 5% +/- of the oil. This dissolved BTEX is readily available for microbial degradation. Oil degrading microbes are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico.

On the sea surface 30% + of the MC 252 oil will evaporate relatively quickly (within one or two days depending on weather conditions). This would be the gasoline and light diesel fractions of the oil. Oil will continue to evaporate over time but at continuously lower rates until only the denser fractions are left.

Once the aromatics and light fractions of the oil are gone, the resins and asphaltenes in the oil come out of solution and may react with agitated water to form an emulsion called mousse or “chocolate mousse.” Although resins and asphaltenes are present in very low concentrations, they tend to control the fate of oil in this stage. A mousse will be approximately 15 to 20% oil and 80 to 85% water.

Given more time, the mouse will weather and “break” and the remaining oil will exist in tarry clumps. Depending on the definition of “tar balls” these may be called tarry clumps, patties, mats, or tar balls depending on their size and consistency (i.e. firm or squishy). There is no formal definition of “tar ball.”

The products of degradation of oil have a density of much less than sea water, and will float. The myth that there are vast layers of oil under the ocean that have not been detected by skimmers is just not true.

It has been reported in the news that 76% of the oil has disappeared.

“At its peak last month, the oil slick was the size of Kansas, but it has been rapidly shrinking, now down to the size of New Hampshire.”

“The numbers don't lie: two weeks ago, skimmers picked up about 25,000 barrels of oily water. Last Thursday, they gathered just 200 barrels.”

"[It's] mother nature doing her job," said Ed Overton, a professor of environmental studies at Louisiana State University.

It is most probable that the direct damage from the BP blowout will be much less than predicted by rabid environmentalists and government experts.

POSSIBLE BACTERIAL THREAT

There is, however, a much more ominous threat to domestic oil supplies from bacteria and other microbes.

“In the Gulf they have had a continuous supply of natural seeps that have kept them the healthiest oil eating bacteria in any major water body.”

Those of us who have been studying the oil eating bacteria and using them in secret government experiments to degrade and dissipate spilled oil on land have recognized some startling facts. Under certain conditions the bacteria appear to mutate or change and become more efficient at destroying oil and related compounds such as asphalt, rubber and plastics.

In one oil spill remediation program that was adjacent to a Wal-Mart asphalt parking lot, the parking lot became unusable (because of damage caused by spreading bacteria) after only 9 months from the start of the project. After the bacteria was then detected some 300 yards from the spill site, attempts were started to isolate the bacteria area from the main state highway.

At another site near a gas station the owner of the station received complaints from customers that the gasoline seemed to have water in it. Tests showed that the octane rating was low and contained oil eating bacteria.

Some vehicles in the study areas have had engine hoses and belts deteriorating earlier than normal. Again, the bacteria are present.

Bacteria have been discovered degrading asphalt several miles from other known bacterial occurrences. It has been hypothesized that the distribution vectors may be birds, people or vehicle tires.

We have recommended suspension of the research until we understand what is going on.

Our researchers believe that with the limited number of bacteria sites, we may have a chance stop the spread in our areas. We are preparing proposals to the local government agencies for grants to solve these problems.

It is with great anguish that I present the following: We may be facing the greatest ecological disaster to ever confront humanity. Understanding that there is a continuous source of oil-eating bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico, that the oil from the BP blowout flowed at tremendous rates, that the bacteria may not have been able to devour all that it could until the oil reached the coastal wetlands and that the bacteria is still active along the coast, the bacteria could conceivably spread and attack our infrastructure. Bacteria in oil on workers’ shoes and clothes, on vehicles and equipment and on birds could get to the asphalt roads and destroy them. Gasoline and even crude oil supplies could be compromised. Airplanes and migrating birds might distribute them all over the US and to other countries.

CONCLUSION

I am proposing that those of us who understand how we could financially profit from this potential threat, join and form a technical committee to establish a plan of action. With our credentials and experience we can establish a huge government agency with a multibillion dollar budget. We won’t have to scrounge for little grants anymore. The oil companies, the morons in the government, the tree huggers and even new green companies will carry us around on their shoulders. We will be rich and live happily ever after.