http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/oil_spills/ Latest research news on oil spills, oil spill clean-up, designing to avoid oil spills and more. en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 15:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 May 2012 15:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/oil_spills/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510225001.htm Geoscientists offer an explanation for why the Deepwater Horizon oil spill didn't have the environmental impact that many had feared. Using publicly available datasets, their study reveals that the force of the Mississippi River emptying into the Gulf of Mexico created mounds of freshwater which pushed the oil slick off shore. Thu, 10 May 2012 22:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510225001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510142005.htm A carbon nanotube sponge that can soak up oil in water with unparalleled efficiency has just been developed, with help from computational simulations. Thu, 10 May 2012 14:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510142005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502123435.htm Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of the first self-propelled "microsubmarines" designed to pick up droplets of oil from contaminated waters and transport them to collection facilities. The report concludes that these tiny machines could play an important role in cleaning up oil spills, like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Wed, 02 May 2012 12:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502123435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120421203913.htm On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform blowout, a national panel of researchers is providing new insight into what happened in the disaster, as well as a guide for how to deal with such events in the future, and why existing tools were inadequate to predict what lay before them. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120421203913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120420123903.htm On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a national panel of researchers is urging the US federal government to reassess how it would respond to similar oil spills that might occur in the future. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120420123903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419102522.htm Scientists have detected evidence that pollutants from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have entered the ecosystem's food chain. Preliminary results demonstrate that oysters collected post-spill contain higher concentrations of heavy metals in their shells, gills, and muscle tissue than those collected before the spill. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419102522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417152648.htm This Friday, April 20, will mark two years since the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused vast quantities of crude oil to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. But despite the size of the spill, "the natural recovery is far greater than what anybody hoped when it happened," said a professor of biology. "The fears of most people -- that there would be a catastrophic collapse of the ecosystem in the Gulf -- never materialized." Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417152648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417113434.htm On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, a pair of researchers are testing whether sound waves can be used to determine the size of oil droplets in the subsea—knowledge that could help guide the use of chemical dispersants during the cleanup of future spills. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417113434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120412105227.htm Researchers have found that residents of Louisiana and Florida most acutely and directly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- said they have changed their views on other environmental issues as a result of the spill. Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120412105227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411132221.htm During the massive oil spill from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon well in 2010, it seemed at first like there might be a quick fix: a containment dome lowered onto the broken pipe to capture the flow so it could be pumped to the surface and disposed of properly. But that attempt quickly failed, because the dome almost instantly became clogged with frozen methane hydrate. Now a newly developed surface coatings could inhibit buildup of methane hydrates that can block deep-sea oil and gas wells. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411132221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404125226.htm Defying thousands of years of conventional wisdom, scientists are reporting that it is possible for water to float on oil, a discovery they say has important potential applications in cleaning up oil spills that threaten seashores and fisheries. Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404125226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160825.htm Scientists report "compelling evidence" that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has impacted deep-sea corals. Their study used underwater robots to investigate the corals and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography to determine precisely the source of petroleum hydrocarbons found. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160821.htm Scientists have discovered compelling evidence of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea corals. The researchers used a wide range of underwater vehicles, including the research submarine Alvin, as well as comprehensive chemical-analysis techniques to determine precisely the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons they found on the corals. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326133633.htm Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, are showing signs of severe ill health, according to marine mammal biologists. Barataria Bay, located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326133633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320142100.htm Since the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010, scientists have been working to understand the impact the disaster has had on the environment. For months, crude oil gushed into the water before the well was capped. A new study confirms that oil from the Macondo well made it into the ocean's food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320142100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312152808.htm For those involved in managing the fallout from environmental disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is essential to have tools that predict how the oil will move, so that they make the best possible use of resources to control the spill. Such tools now appear to be within reach. Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312152808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308101627.htm A new study shows that arthropods living in coastal salt marshes affected by BP oil spill were damaged but they were able to recover if their host plants remained healthy. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308101627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222154641.htm In the first look at the overall effect of air pollution from the excavation of oil sands, also called tar sands, in Alberta, Canada, scientists used satellites to measure nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted from the industry. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222154641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120217115553.htm The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 will have a large economic impact on the US Gulf fisheries. A new study says that over seven years this oil spill could have a $US8.7 billion impact on the economy of the Gulf of Mexico. This includes losses in revenue, profit, and wages, and close to 22,000 jobs could be lost. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120217115553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093113.htm Researchers are working on long-term sustainability study to prepare for an oil spill that could catastrophically impact Florida. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126223609.htm The economic pain of a flattening oil supply will trump the environment as a reason to curb the use of fossil fuels, say scientists. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126223609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182709.htm An expert on the protection of threatened marine ecosystems has commented on the potential for ecological disaster posed by the 2,300 tons of fuel oil still aboard the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119153116.htm Using state-of-the-art chemical forensics and a bit of old-fashioned detective work, scientists confirmed that mysterious material found floating in the Gulf of Mexico came from the Deepwater Horizon rig. They further determined that tracking debris from damaged rigs can help forecast coastal impacts and guide response efforts in future spills. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119153116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110093601.htm A new study provides the composite picture of the environmental distribution of oil and gas from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It amasses a vast collection of available atmospheric, surface and subsurface chemical data to assemble a "mass balance" of how much oil and gas was released, where it went and the chemical makeup of the compounds that remained in the air, on the surface, and in the deep water. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110093601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109212211.htm When scientists reported that bacterial blooms had consumed almost all the deepwater methane plumes after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, some were skeptical. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109212211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155712.htm By combining detailed chemical measurements in the deep ocean, in the oil slick, and in the air, NOAA scientists and academic colleagues have independently estimated how fast gases and oil were leaking during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The new chemistry-based spill rate estimate, an average of 11,130 tons of gas and oil compounds per day, is close to the official average leak rate estimate of about 11,350 tons. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227093057.htm The 2007 Cosco Busan disaster, which spilled 54,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay, had an unexpectedly lethal impact on embryonic fish, devastating a commercially and ecologically important species for nearly two years, reports a new study. Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227093057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112028.htm The results of a recent study on Kentish Plover eggs has shown that there was a unexpected increase in hydrocarbon levels along the coast of Galicia five years after the Prestige oil spill. Worsened in previous years by works to remove the wreck, pollution levels began to rise again in the summer of 2006 along with numerous forest fires. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142356.htm The magnitude and depth of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will require an unprecedented effort to determine the extent and severity of ecological damage and to develop restoration plans for affected areas in the Gulf of Mexico, says a new report. A broad approach that focuses on repairing ecosystem processes -- such as fisheries production -- in addition to replacing natural resources damaged by the spill could offer more options for restoring the Gulf region, says the congressionally mandated report. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111007132353.htm In one of the first publications to present systematically collected public health data on coastal populations affected by the catastrophic oil spill of 2010, sociologists report that individuals having a stronger sense of attachment to their community exhibited higher self-reported levels of anxiety, worry, nervousness and fear. Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111007132353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003180432.htm Scientists used DNA to identify microbes present in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and then identified the microbes responsible for consuming the large amount of natural gas present immediately after the spill. They have also explained how water temperature played a key role in the way bacteria reacted to the spill. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:04:04 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003180432.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926173125.htm Scientists have published the results of a combined field and laboratory study showing the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on fish living in Louisiana marshes. Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926173125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920163314.htm During the 2010 Gulf oil spill, an estimated one of every 20 barrels of spilled oil was deliberately burned to reduce surface oil slick size and minimize impacts of oil on sensitive shoreline ecosystems and marine life. The black smoke from those controlled burns pumped more than 1 million pounds of black carbon (soot) pollution into the atmosphere, according to a new study by NOAA and CIRES researchers. Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920163314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110905160912.htm In a detailed assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers have determined that the blown-out Macondo well spewed oil at a rate of about 57,000 barrels a day, totaling nearly 5 million barrels of oil released from the well between Apr. 20 and July 15, 2010, when the leak was capped. In addition, the well released some 100 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas. Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110905160912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110819131525.htm One year after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and two decades after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, the scientific lesson is clear -- microbes matter! Despite vast differences in the ecosystems and circumstances of these two worst oil spills in US history, oil-degrading microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both spills, scientists report. Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110819131525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817094926.htm Amid growing concern that using soybeans and other food crops to produce biodiesel fuel will raise the price of food, scientists have identified a new and unlikely raw material for the fuel: Alligator fat. A new article documents alligator fat's suitability for biofuel production. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817094926.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808170049.htm In a new article, a communication professor demonstrates that the impact of peak petroleum on public health may be a way to unite conservatives and liberals in an effort to move away from fossil fuels and towards alternative forms of energy. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808170049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801111752.htm In the first published study to explain the role of microbes in breaking down the oil slick on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, researchers have found that bacterial microbes inside the slick degraded the oil at a rate five times faster than microbes outside the slick -- accounting in large part for the disappearance of the slick some three weeks after Deepwater Horizon's Macondo well was shut off. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801111752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110722132825.htm After collecting weathered crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers have reported that only 8 to 9 percent coverage on the shells of fertilized mallard duck eggs resulted in a 50 percent mortality rate. Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110722132825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720103532.htm Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists have determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume. Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720103532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110718151552.htm Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a research team has determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume at least 22 miles long that WHOI scientists mapped and sampled last summer in the Gulf of Mexico, a residue of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Moreover, they have taken a big step in explaining why some chemicals, but not others, made their way into the plume. Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110718151552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110718151549.htm For the first time, scientists gathered oil and gas directly as it escaped from a deep ocean wellhead -- that of the damaged Deepwater Horizon oil rig. What they found allows a better understanding of how pollution is partitioned and transported in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico and permits superior estimation of the environmental impact of escaping oil, allowing for a more precise evaluation of previously estimated repercussions on seafloor life in the future. Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110718151549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110706144620.htm The first two weeks of June 2010 were a blur for six Berkeley Lab scientists. As the world focused on the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico after the blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon Macondo well, the scientists dropped everything to estimate how much oil was flowing from the mangled wellhead. Their research is recounted in a new article. Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110706144620.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629083111.htm What happens when there is an oil spill on land? Who cleans it up and how do they do it? By optimizing the use of naturally occurring bacteria, a group of scientists was able to clean contaminated soil without using either chemicals or GMOs. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629083111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110627095404.htm Regulations and procedures in themselves are not enough to ensure safety during oil-drilling operations, conclude researchers who have studied the accident investigation reports from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110627095404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110610081714.htm Curtains of air-bubbles are turning out to be a new method of fighting oil-spills. The bubbles gather up the oil efficiently, even in winds and strong currents, and keep it together in a "pool". Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110610081714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110522141623.htm A new computer model of the Gulf of Mexico in the period after the 2010 oil spill provides insights into how underwater currents may have primed marine microorganisms to degrade the oil. Sun, 22 May 2011 14:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110522141623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511134221.htm Marine species facing threats from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico far exceed those under legal protection in the United States, a new paper finds. Researchers found 39 additional marine species beyond the 14 protected by federal law that are at an elevated risk of extinction. Wed, 11 May 2011 13:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511134221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110504162011.htm The US Geological Survey assessment on the economic recoverability of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and adjacent state waters is now available. Economically recoverable resources are those that can be sold at a price that covers the costs of discovery, development, production and transportation to the market. The new economic analysis estimates that approximately 273 million barrels of undiscovered oil are economically recoverable at an oil price of $72 per barrel (comparable to $8 per thousand cubic feet of gas). About 500 million barrels of undiscovered oil are economically recoverable at $90 per barrel (comparable to $10 per thousand cubic feet of gas). Wed, 04 May 2011 16:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110504162011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110430133127.htm While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease. Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110430133127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420112104.htm New technology that combines production of electricity with capture of carbon dioxide could make billions of barrels of oil shale -- now regarded as off-limits because of the huge amounts of carbon dioxide released in its production -- available as an energy source in a greenhouse world of the future, according to a new report. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420112104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420081520.htm NOAA has reopened to commercial and recreational fishing 1,041 square miles of Gulf waters immediately surrounding the Deepwater Horizon wellhead, just east of Louisiana. This is the twelfth and final reopening in federal waters since July 22, and opens all of the areas in Federal waters formerly closed to fishing due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420081520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419161428.htm One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, 2010, two experts comment on the known and unknown impacts to wildlife -- in the air, on the land and in the sea. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419161428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419121357.htm The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused social disruption and psychological stress among Gulf residents that is similar to the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez spill and the impacts are likely to persist for years, a new study finds. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419121357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412121245.htm One year after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on the Gulf Coast, new research shows that despite the roughly equivalent economic compensation, Louisiana and Florida residents differ in perceptions about the current and long-term effects of the largest marine oil spill in US history. Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412121245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406192433.htm Experts urgently call for the development of protocols dealing with the health effects of disasters -- before the next one occurs. One year later, the magnitude of the impact of the Gulf oil spill on human health, the environment, and the economy remains unknown. Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406192433.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330094006.htm The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 devastated the Gulf of Mexico ecologically and economically. However, a new study reveals that the true impact of the disaster on wildlife may be gravely underestimated. The study argues that fatality figures based on the number of recovered animal carcasses will not give a true death toll, which may be 50 times higher than believed Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330094006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110329095735.htm That dirty motor oil that comes out of your car or truck engine during oil changes could end up in your fuel tank, according to a new report. It described development of a new process for recycling waste crankcase oil into gasoline-like fuel -- the first, they said, that uses microwaves and has "excellent potential" for going into commercial use. Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:57:57 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110329095735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110318174921.htm An environmentally friendlier method of separating oil from tar sands has now been developed. The method, which utilizes ionic liquids to separate the heavy viscous oil from sand, is also capable of cleaning oil spills from beaches and separating oil from drill cuttings, the solid particles that must be removed from drilling fluids in oil and gas wells. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110318174921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110314142017.htm Scientists have found a way to use air chemistry measurements taken hundreds of feet above last year's BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to estimate how fast gases and oil were leaking from the reservoir thousands of feet underwater. The scientists also determined the fate of most of those gas and oil compounds using atmospheric chemistry data collected from the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft overflights in June. Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110314142017.htm