Stopping the Leak

I got this from the Friends for Change website."Since the oil started leaking, BP has been working with many other oil companies, federal agencies, and other scientists and engineers to try to find a way to stop the leak.

Photo: Kim Hubbard/Audubon MagazineThey are also working to stop the oil from spreading, including using chemical dispersants to break up the oil, burning the oil on the water surface, and using giant booms that look like large mechanical ribbons to contain the oil and keep it from coming ashore. Once oil washes on the shore, it can harm beaches, wetlands, wildlife, and people. Since oil floats, oil booms are one of the key ways BP and others are trying to contain the oil. The booms can be more than 100 feet long and two feet high and serve as giant physical barriers to stop the oil from spreading. Unfortunately, if the wind and waves are too strong, the oil can slosh over the booms. So although booms help, they can’t completely keep the oil contained.
BP and others are continuing to look for ways to plug the leak. Unfortunately, nothing has worked completely to stop the leak. They’ve had some partial success, but the oil continues to gush from the seabed as BP and others are trying new strategies and trying to cap the leak."