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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Woody Paschall

As the world celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day this year, one of the largest disasters of this century occurred when an explosion and fire were reported aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20th and then, on April 22, Earth Day, another explosion occurred and the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sank 130 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Dive Into Your Imagination has been watching this environmental disaster very closely and have been amazed at both the news media's reaction to it and the cover up to who is at fault. While in Chicago during the week after the incident, the reports were not on the history of how this could happen, what we could do to prevent it, how we could cut our dependency on oil or how we could help the people in the Gulf and the surrounding states; no, the news did not report on this. The news reported on how the price of shrimp, fish and oysters were going to skyrocket because of the oil disaster. The same thing happened a few years ago when Scientists released the report that in less than 50 years there will be no more fish in the Ocean if we continue the way we have overfished; CNN responded with, "don't worry though, we will have aqua farms and you will be able to still get fish."

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Justin E. Stumberg

Many friends have been calling and emailing Dive Into Your Imagination, asking if we were going to go and cover the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf. We are in production on two additional shows, three books and six sets of lesson plans for teachers to educate children about the Ocean and our Environment. As we wrap up these projects we are trying to figure out a way to go to the gulf to cover what is happening. If your group, organization or corporation wants to partner with Dive Into Your Imagination on a story on the gulf, please contact Annie Crawley immediately at annie at DiveIntoYourImagination (dot) com or call her cell at 805-453-1947. Also, if you are interested in finding out about the latest products coming out from Dive Into Your Imagination for the fall of 2010 and first quarter 2011, we are looking for strategic partnerships. We are just as shocked as the rest of the world while we watch the oil continue to flow into the gulf. Dive Into Your Imagination is committed more than ever to change the way a new generation views the Ocean, our environment and ourselves.

You can find all the latest information here through a site that was set up to keep people informed:

And at NOAA's site for emergency response

Here is the latest press release, explaining what they are studying scientifically and NOAA's response:

Contact:
Christine Patrick
301-713-2370

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2010

NOAA Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Forecast Update

NOAA Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Forecast Update

NOAA Dispatches Northeast Science Chief to Lead Rapid-Response Contamination Testing System

NOAA is sending one of its top fisheries science directors to the Gulf this week to lead its effort to rapidly assess, test and report findings about risks posed to fish in the Gulf of Mexico by contaminants from the BP oil spill and clean-up activities.
Nancy Thompson, Ph.D, director of NOAA�s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), will head to Pascagoula, Miss., to lead NOAA�s response team. Thompson will work closely with Bonnie Ponwith, Ph.D., director at the agency�s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, who is leading an intensified effort to monitor and assess the spill�s effects on important species in the Gulf of Mexico.

�From her experience working on contaminant testing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Nancy understands the science and knows the Gulf region,� said Eric Schwaab, NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA�s Fisheries Service. �Her leadership in running our
contaminant testing system is an important step in ensuring NOAA can continue efforts related to fisheries management priorities in the Gulf.�

Thompson�s arrival will allow Ponwith to focus on both her oil spill duties as well as highpriority regional issues in fisheries management, including leading stock assessments for red snapper stocks and working with the Gulf, Caribbean and South Atlantic fishery management councils.

The rapid-response testing involves chemical analysis of water samples and chemical and sensory analysis of fish and shellfish. These will be compared with samples taken immediately following the spill and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Scientists will also
compare actual or projected locations of contaminants with normal locations of fish in the Gulf. Scientists at the Pascagoula lab, led by director Lisa Desfosse, Ph.D., will support efforts by continuing aerial surveys to monitor the location of marine mammals and sea turtles and by collecting fish and shellfish samples for contaminant analysis.

NOAA will use test results and analysis in making decisions about where and how fishing should be curtailed in the region affected by the BP oil spill, and about whether seafood is safe for consumption. The NOAA system will be coordinated with other agencies active in the response, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

During Thompson�s temporary absence, deputy Frank Almeida will act as director of the NEFSC and will continue work on critical groundfish issues in that region. �NOAA has a deep bench that is flexible and can work together as a team to handle both the oil spill response and our normal operations in the regions,� said Steve Murawski, Ph.D., chief science advisor for NOAA Fisheries. �Frank, Bonnie and Nancy are some of our most respected scientists, and will handle these challenges ably.�

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/noaa.lubchenco.

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