DEEPWATER HORIZON (aka BP Oil Spill), 2010 Explain the characteristics and spatial distribution of Any one recent human‑induced (technological) hazard (explosion or escape of hazardous material) DEEPWATER HORIZON (aka BP Oil Spill), 2010

Why does Deep-Sea oil drilling pose risks? http://www.southernstudies.org/2010/06/oil-spill-reveals-dangers-of-deep-water-drilling.html

An extract: The extraction of oil in the Gulf of Mexico is not a new phenomenon. It took off after World War II. All the wells driven in the Gulf of Mexico, 95% of them are in shallow water, about 70m deep. If an accident occurs, you could send divers down there and fix it. Many of those inshore coastal wells have been depleted, so the oil companies have had to go into ever deeper waters to find new fields to exploits. In the past five years, the oil companies have pushed oil development further offshore. But, the deeper you go, the more demanding the circumstances. The pressures are enormous, temperatures are low. You can't send divers down there to fix anything. The chemistry of the water is different than in shallow water. Fixes and repairs that work in shallow water don't work in deep water.

How has the number and depth of US oil wells changed over the last 70 years? http://vimeo.com/12464169

A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well after pressure control systems have failed.

Draw a diagram to explain the cause of the explosion and the source of the leak. You should use the terms: blowout, drill platform, spill flow rate, riser pipe, petroleum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLiqvZOP8TY&feature=player_embedded

http://www. youtube. com/watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77pBcf0o444&feature=player_embedded#at=85

Comprehensive resources on DWH http://www.eoearth.org/article/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill?topic=50364#gen2

Read this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/two-years-after-bp-oil-spill-offshore-drilling-still-poses-risks/2012/04/19/gIQAHOkDUT_story_1.html