Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Environment

Air Pollution Sources From Gulf Oil Spill

by Cheryl Hogue
January 2, 2012 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 90, Issue 1

Evaporation of hydrocarbons created more air pollution from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill than did burning oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1110052108). Researchers, led by scientists from NOAA, analyzed air pollution created during the 2010 drilling rig disaster. The scientists found that about 8% (±4%) of the oil that reached the surface of the gulf eventually became tiny airborne particles. The mass of particulate matter from evaporating hydrocarbons was about 10 times that of the airborne soot created in controlled burns, which were set to reduce the size of the slicks and their effect on shorelines. Instruments detected a massive atmospheric plume of small organic particles and pollutant gases downwind of the spill site, says Ann M. Middlebrook, a NOAA scientist and lead author of the study. The study also revealed high levels of ground-level ozone downwind of the spill. Ozone can form from volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.