While British Petroleum (BP) works on plugging the oil leak, thousands of gallons of oil will continue to seep into the ocean. From the day that the rig sank to the present, it’s hard to fathom, let alone envision, how much oil has been spewing into the sea. When it comes to larger volumes, it’s difficult to imagine how much it really is, but when you start picturing the smaller volumes of oil, it can be devastating knowledge. If you really want to know what 10,000 barrels of oil looks like, take a breath and read on…
Hullet Jones who is with the San Francisco firm Jones | Haydu developed a drawing to show exactly what 5,000 barrels and 10,000 barrels of oil looks like. The drawings are incorporated in a video that depicts what one gallon, one barrel, ten barrels, one hundred barrels, one thousand barrels and 5,000 barrels looks like.
If you’re trying to imagine 10,000 barrels of oil, which is the amount leaked into the ocean in two days, it’s enough to fill a Victorian house in San Francisco! It’s hard to believe, but it’s true, and it definitely makes you worry more about the consequences that will come from this spill.
This past weekend on National Public Radio (NPR), several individuals from the affected oil spill areas were discussing the status of the beach. Mostly in part to encourage beach goers to continue visiting the area and support local businesses. Although tar balls are washing up on Louisiana and Alabama shores, it seems as though the beaches aren’t as bad as you would think considering the size of the spill. However, this is probably temporary and beach goers as well as resident will probably be seeing more.
If you’re located in these areas, what are you seeing on the beach?
When environmental disasters such as oil spills occur, it’s hard for the public to understand the extent of the damage. However, with illustrations it makes the situation more comprehensible, and maybe depicting the damage will encourage more individuals to help clean up the ocean and the affected wildlife.
Photo Credit: Freshome
