Deepwater Horizon Platform Discharge Numbers

2010/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Columbia University experts have made a first estimate of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated 4.4 million barrels of oil have been poured out of 22 April due to the accident of the Deepwater Horizon platform.

Experts recalled that the pouring of the 1989 oil tanker Exxon Valdez was an order of lesser magnitude, pouring 257,000 barrels. This year's spill doubled that of the Prestige in May, and has continued to ship oil two more months. Deepwater Horizon has also surpassed the largest spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as in 1979 the Itxi I platform issued 3.3 million barrels.

In general, these figures are those that have left the accident, but experts say that we still have to improve the estimate because they have done it from some videos, and that the error is of the order of 20%.