Thursday, September 2, 2010
UA professor to study oil’s effects on anemones
UA professor to study oil’s effects on anemones
Submitted photo
University of Alabama biological science professor Matthew Jenny and a partner at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts will collect sea anemones from Gulf marshes and bring them to Tuscaloosa for further study. Anemone should help scientists understand how invertebrates cope with oil and other chemicals.
Published: Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 10:51 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 10:51 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | A University of Alabama professor won a federal grant to study the effects of the recent oil leak on a small animal living in the marshes along the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s hoped that this simple organism at the base of the animal kingdom will provide a better understanding of the long-term effects of the estimated 210,000 gallons of oil that gushed from a broken well deep in the Gulf of Mexico over 86 days earlier this year.
With a $110,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, UA biological science professor Matthew Jenny and a partner at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts will collect sea anemones from Gulf marshes and bring them to Tuscaloosa for further study. The tiny invertebrate animal lives in mud-like sediment, rising out in high tide to eat and be eaten.
The anemone should be able to yield clues on how other invertebrates handle the removal of oil, along with the chemicals that government and BP officials sprinkled on the Gulf to disperse the oil, Jenny said.
“We know very little about how invertebrates respond to these types of oil stresses, so understanding the enzymes used for metabolizing or removing the oil is going to be important in terms of assessing of whether or not organisms are able to respond in removing oil exposure,” he said.
This particular anemone, scientifically called Nematostella vectensis, was chosen by Jenny because its genome, the basic compounds that make up any organism, has been mapped. It will be easier to see what genes the anemone is using to compensate for contamination, he said. Other invertebrates more than likely would use the same process as the anemone.
“We can use this as a screening tool to look at how other different species might be impacted by exposure to the oil,” Jenny said. “This is sort of a stepping stone to understanding these conserved bio-markers.”
The anemone could yield clues to how invertebrates deeper in the ocean on the seabed, where much of the oil is thought to have rested, will deal with the oil and chemical dispersants.
While the effect of oil is well-known on vertebrates, those animals with backbones, there is not much data on invertebrates, Jenny said.
“Invertebrates are very important, so understanding how they are going to respond to those stressors is very important,” he said.
It will take about a year to complete the study and publish the findings, Jenny said.
Reach Adam Jones at adam.jones@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0230.
Gulf oil platform explodes off Louisiana coast
Gulf oil platform explodes off Louisiana coast
Alan Sayre, The Associated PressPublished: Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — The Coast Guard is saying that a mile-long oil sheen is spreading after an offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast,..
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site this morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
"Thirteen people were seen huddled together in the water wearing gumby suits or immersion suits, water protection suits, so we were able to confirm that all people were accounted for," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.
Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston and Mobile, Ben-Iesau said. She said authorities do not know whether oil was leaking from the site.
The platform, known as Vermilion Oil Platform 380, was owned by Mariner Energy of Houston, according to a homeland security operations update obtained by The Associated Press. The platform was not producing oil and gas, according to the operations report.
Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Bureau of Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, said the platform was authorized to produce oil and gas at this water depth but had not been recently in active production.
"There were ongoing maintenance activities underway," she said, adding it was in approximately 340 feet of water.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting and did not know whether Obama had been informed of the explosion.
"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.
A call to the company seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Mariner Energy focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, Apache Corp., another independent petroleum company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about $1.2 billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.
Apache spokesman Bob Dye said the platform is in shallow water. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008 in 340 feet of water.
Responding to an oil spill in shallow water is much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.
The platform is about 200 miles west of BP's blown out Macondo well. On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would complete the choke of the well. The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a massive oil spill.
All workers accounted for in Gulf oil platform blast
All workers accounted for in Gulf oil platform blast
In this image obtained from the US Coast Guard (USCG), the Coast Guard Cutter Decisive patrols around the Deepwater Horizon well site in the Gulf of Mexico on August 4, 2010. According to the USCG, the Cutter Decisive is reponding to a reported oil rig blast in the gulf on September 02, 2010.
In this image obtained from the US Coast Guard (USCG), the Coast Guard Cutter Decisive patrols around the Deepwater Horizon well site in the Gulf of Mexico on August 4, 2010. According to the USCG, the Cutter Decisive is reponding to a reported oil rig blast in the gulf on September 02, 2010. AFP/Getty Images
Blast occurred west of site of April explosion that caused massive oil spill
Alan Sayre
New Orleans — The Associated Press Published on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 11:39AM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 1:08PM EDT
An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 160 kilometres off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau.
She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
“Thirteen people were seen huddled together in the water wearing gumby suits or immersion suits, water protection suits, so we were able to confirm that all people were accounted for,” Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.
Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston and Mobile, Ala., Cmdr. Ben-Iesau said. She said authorities do not know whether oil was leaking from the site.
The platform, known as Vermilion Oil Platform 380, was owned by Mariner Energy of Houston, according to a homeland security operations update obtained by The Associated Press. The platform was not producing oil and gas, according to the operations report.
Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Bureau of Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, said the platform was authorized to produce oil and gas at this water depth but had not been recently in active production.
“There were ongoing maintenance activities underway,” she said, adding it was in approximately 340 feet of water.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting and did not know whether Mr. Obama had been informed of the explosion.
“We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water,” Mr. Gibbs said.
A call to the company seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Mariner Energy focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, Apache Corp., another independent petroleum company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9-billion (U.S.), including the assumption of about $1.2-billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.
Apache spokesman Bob Dye said the platform is in shallow water. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008 in 340 feet of water.
Responding to an oil spill in shallow water is much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.
The platform is about 320 kilometres west of BP's blown out Macondo well. On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would complete the choke of the well. The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a massive oil spill.
View Mariner Energy explosion in a larger map
In this image obtained from the US Coast Guard (USCG), the Coast Guard Cutter Decisive patrols around the Deepwater Horizon well site in the Gulf of Mexico on August 4, 2010. According to the USCG, the Cutter Decisive is reponding to a reported oil rig blast in the gulf on September 02, 2010.
In this image obtained from the US Coast Guard (USCG), the Coast Guard Cutter Decisive patrols around the Deepwater Horizon well site in the Gulf of Mexico on August 4, 2010. According to the USCG, the Cutter Decisive is reponding to a reported oil rig blast in the gulf on September 02, 2010. AFP/Getty Images
Blast occurred west of site of April explosion that caused massive oil spill
Alan Sayre
New Orleans — The Associated Press Published on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 11:39AM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 1:08PM EDT
An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 160 kilometres off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau.
She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
“Thirteen people were seen huddled together in the water wearing gumby suits or immersion suits, water protection suits, so we were able to confirm that all people were accounted for,” Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.
Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston and Mobile, Ala., Cmdr. Ben-Iesau said. She said authorities do not know whether oil was leaking from the site.
The platform, known as Vermilion Oil Platform 380, was owned by Mariner Energy of Houston, according to a homeland security operations update obtained by The Associated Press. The platform was not producing oil and gas, according to the operations report.
Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Bureau of Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, said the platform was authorized to produce oil and gas at this water depth but had not been recently in active production.
“There were ongoing maintenance activities underway,” she said, adding it was in approximately 340 feet of water.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting and did not know whether Mr. Obama had been informed of the explosion.
“We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water,” Mr. Gibbs said.
A call to the company seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Mariner Energy focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, Apache Corp., another independent petroleum company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9-billion (U.S.), including the assumption of about $1.2-billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.
Apache spokesman Bob Dye said the platform is in shallow water. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008 in 340 feet of water.
Responding to an oil spill in shallow water is much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.
The platform is about 320 kilometres west of BP's blown out Macondo well. On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would complete the choke of the well. The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a massive oil spill.
View Mariner Energy explosion in a larger map
Coast Guard: Platform explodes in Gulf, 13 workers rescued
Coast Guard: Platform explodes in Gulf, 13 workers rescued
[Updated at 12:31 p.m.] All thirteen people aboard a production platform that exploded in the Gulf are accounted for and safely on a commercial vessel according to initial information, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.
"We continue to gather information as we respond with full force, and have oil spill response assets ready for immediate deployment should we receive any reports of pollution," the statement said.
[Updated at 11:53 a.m.] U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough tells CNN that 12 people from the production platform are in water immersion suits as they await rescue.
Colclough told CNN there are reports the production platform, which is for both oil and natural gas, is still on fire.
"We don't know what caused the rig to catch on fire," he told CNN, noting the incident is under investigation.
Asked about concerns regarding oil leaks or pollution, Colclough said "there are reports the rig was not actively producing any product, so we don't know if there's any risk of pollution."
Mariner Energy is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company in the Gulf of Mexico. About 85 percent of the company's production comes from offshore assets, with a growing share of that coming from deepwater developments.
The explosion comes nearly five months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 people and causing oil to gush into
the Gulf of Mexico, leading to one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
iReport: Did you see the explosion? Share images
[Updated at 11:43 a.m.] U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough tells CNN that all 13 workers involved in the production platform explosion are accounted for, but one person is injured.
Coast Choppers are on the way to the site 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
[Posted at 11:33 a.m.] An oil production platform has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 12 people overboard and one missing, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.
Rescue attempts are under way for at least 12 people, Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards told CNN. 13 people were on board the production platform total, Edwards said, noting 12 have been accounted for, but one person was missing.
The accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion Oil production platform 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy.
The Coast Guard has multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters en route. It's unknown if there are any injuries.
WWL: Coast Guard reporting production platform incident
WDSU: Production platform explodes in Gulf
"We continue to gather information as we respond with full force, and have oil spill response assets ready for immediate deployment should we receive any reports of pollution," the statement said.
[Updated at 11:53 a.m.] U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough tells CNN that 12 people from the production platform are in water immersion suits as they await rescue.
Colclough told CNN there are reports the production platform, which is for both oil and natural gas, is still on fire.
"We don't know what caused the rig to catch on fire," he told CNN, noting the incident is under investigation.
Asked about concerns regarding oil leaks or pollution, Colclough said "there are reports the rig was not actively producing any product, so we don't know if there's any risk of pollution."
Mariner Energy is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company in the Gulf of Mexico. About 85 percent of the company's production comes from offshore assets, with a growing share of that coming from deepwater developments.
The explosion comes nearly five months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 people and causing oil to gush into
the Gulf of Mexico, leading to one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
iReport: Did you see the explosion? Share images
[Updated at 11:43 a.m.] U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough tells CNN that all 13 workers involved in the production platform explosion are accounted for, but one person is injured.
Coast Choppers are on the way to the site 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
[Posted at 11:33 a.m.] An oil production platform has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 12 people overboard and one missing, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.
Rescue attempts are under way for at least 12 people, Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards told CNN. 13 people were on board the production platform total, Edwards said, noting 12 have been accounted for, but one person was missing.
The accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion Oil production platform 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy.
The Coast Guard has multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters en route. It's unknown if there are any injuries.
WWL: Coast Guard reporting production platform incident
WDSU: Production platform explodes in Gulf
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