On surface of Gulf, oil is vanishing quickly

On surface of Gulf, oil is vanishing quickly


RARE GOOD NEWS: Several concerns remain; debate turns to when to scale back response

By JUSTIN GILLIS and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON NEW YORK TIMES

July 28, 2010, 9:23AM



The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be dissolving far more rapidly than anyone expected, a piece of good news that raises tricky new questions about how fast the government should scale back its response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.



The immense patches of surface oil that covered thousands of square miles of the Gulf after the April 20 oil rig explosion are largely gone, although there continue to be sightings of tar balls and emulsified oil here and there.



Reporters flying over the area Sunday spotted only a few patches of sheen and an occasional streak of thicker oil, and radar images taken since then suggest that these few remaining patches are quickly breaking down in the warm surface waters of the Gulf.



John Amos, president of SkyTruth, an advocacy group that criticized the early, low estimates of the size of the BP leak, noted that no oil had gushed from the well for nearly two weeks.



"Oil has a finite life span at the surface," Amos said Tuesday, after examining fresh radar images of the slick. "At this point, that oil slick is really starting to dissipate pretty rapidly."



The dissolution of the slick should reduce the risk of oil killing more animals or hitting shorelines. But it does not end the many problems and scientific uncertainties associated with the spill, and federal leaders emphasized this week that they had no intention of walking away from those problems any time soon.



The effect on sea life of the large amounts of oil that dissolved below the surface is still a mystery. Two preliminary government reports have found concentrations of toxic compounds in the deep sea to be low, but the reports left many questions, especially about an apparent decline in oxygen levels in the water.



The effect on sea life of the large amounts of oil that dissolved below the surface is still a mystery. Two preliminary government reports have found concentrations of toxic compounds in the deep sea to be low, but the reports left many questions, especially about an apparent decline in oxygen levels in the water.



And understanding the effects of the spill on the shorelines that were hit is expected to occupy scientists for years. Fishermen along the coast are skeptical of any declarations of success, expressing concern about the long-term effects of the chemical dispersants used to combat the spill and of the submerged oil, particularly on shrimp and crab larvae that are the foundation of future fishing seasons.

A combination of factors



Scientists said the rapid dissipation of the surface oil was probably due to several factors. The Gulf has an immense capacity to break down oil, which leaks into it at a steady rate from thousands of natural seeps. Although none of the seeps is anywhere near the size of the Deepwater Horizon leak, they do mean that the Gulf is swarming with bacteria that can eat oil.



The winds from two storms that blew through the Gulf, including a storm over the weekend, also appear to have contributed to a rapid dispersion of the oil. Then there was the response mounted by BP and the government, the largest in history, involving more than 4,000 boats attacking the oil with skimming equipment, controlled surface burns and other tactics.



The winds from two storms that blew through the Gulf, including a storm over the weekend, also appear to have contributed to a rapid dispersion of the oil. Then there was the response mounted by BP and the government, the largest in history, involving more than 4,000 boats attacking the oil with skimming equipment, controlled surface burns and other tactics.



Some of the compounds in the oil evaporate, reducing their impact on the environment. Jeffrey Short, a former government scientist who studied oil spills and now works for the environmental advocacy group Oceana, said that as much as 40 percent of the oil in the Gulf might have simply evaporated once it reached the surface.



An unknown percentage of the oil would have been eaten by bacteria, essentially rendering the compounds harmless. But other components of the oil have most likely turned into floating tar balls that could continue to gum up beaches and marshes, and may represent a continuing threat to some sea life. A band of tar balls three miles by four miles was discovered off the Louisiana coast Tuesday.

'One day at a time'



Thad Allen, the retired Coast Guard admiral who leads the government's response, has emphasized that boats are still skimming some oil at the surface. He said the risk of shoreline oiling might continue for several more weeks.



Still, it is becoming clear that the Obama administration, in conjunction with BP, will soon have to make decisions about how quickly to begin scaling down the large-scale — and expensive - response effort. That is a touchy issue, and not just for environmental reasons.



Still, it is becoming clear that the Obama administration, in conjunction with BP, will soon have to make decisions about how quickly to begin scaling down the large-scale - and expensive - response effort. That is a touchy issue, and not just for environmental reasons.



The response itself has become the principal livelihood for thousands of fishermen and other workers whose lives were upended by the oil spill. More than 1,400 fishing boats and other vessels have been hired to help deploy coastal barriers and perform other cleanup tasks.



Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft of the Coast Guard, coordinator of the response on the scene, said that any decisions about scaling down the effort would be made only by consensus, and only after an analysis of the continuing threat from oil in each region of the Gulf.



"I think it's going to happen one day at a time," Zukunft said.











John Dunaway



Associate Publisher – Panama City Beach

Mexico Beach Still Oil Free

Well, the Storm Bonnie fizzled out to be a pretty big nothing---that's a good thing for everybody.   The biggest impact she had was it put working on the oil well off many days.   I thought it was a little silly for them to remove the boom from St. Joe Bay for this storm but I guess its better to be safe than sorry.

I believe they will be resuming their work at the oil well within the next several days.   At least the well was capped during this time and seems to be holding.   No more free flow of oil!! 

The last time I blogged the oil plume was 125 miles from Panama City, now its 160 miles---still heading AWAY from us!!!!    

We've had no oil impact up to this date and its looking increasingly good that we may never have any impact!!!

Finally my phone calls asking about the oil spill have stopped and are back to calling about property!!!

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Inquiries, showings, offers have definitely increased within the last week or so.    In fact, its been downright busy again!!!

I don't believe the threat of oil has had any huge impact on the real estate prices here-----it did ruin several deals-----It would be interesting to talk to those buyers now that walked away from some pretty good deals to see if they regret making that decision.

Our prices have fallen slightly since the oil well fiasco begun although I'm not sure it had anything to do with the oil.  

There are some good deals out there-----you never know what someone is going to take unless you make them an offer!   

Interest rates are still hovering around 5%.
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If interested in buying or selling give me a call!!

Have a great week and below are my words of wisdom for this week!

And don't forget..............The carpet said

KNEEL DOWN AND PRAY

Quick Oil Spill Update

The oil plume is over 125 miles from Panama City, so a little farther than that from Mexico Beach!   The winds are now blowing it westward, away from us again.  

The huge news, of course, is the well has stopped gushing and the relief wells, which is the permanent solution, are ahead of schedule!

There is a tropical wave near Puerto Rico, which we are keeping an eye on.   Hopefully it won't turn into a tropical depression and cause a lot of wind and wave action to move the oil plume our way. 

As of right now---for this coming weekend-----we are beautiful!    Open for business, sugar white sand and blue green water!!!!

Mary
850-896-5222

Update for Mexico Beach

There has been no oil gushing from the well going on 36 hours!!!   I heard this morning the relief wells may be completed by the end of this month instead of mid August!      I don't know why this has taken so long but better than never!!!

Mexico Beach has not had any oil sightings from the DeepWater oil spill and I'm becoming more and more optimistic that we may not ever have any oil impacts here!

Our beaches remain open, clean, and beautiful!!

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I don't know if there is any connection between this good news and the surge in real estate showings in the last few days but..........................There are a ton of people looking for property!!!     Four properties were put under contract in the last few days and more offers are being negotiated!

We had a fantastic beginning of the year and I believe we are going to end up the summer doing extremely well even with this oil spill.     As I've been saying all year-----lower prices + low interest rates  = sales.

There will ALWAYS be buyers at the beach!!!!!
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If you are looking to buy and haven't yet contacted me, please feel free to call or email me anytime!

Have a great week,
God Bless,
And keep the Gulf Coast in your prayers!!

Mary
850-896-5222
http://www.maryblackburn.com/
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Update on the oil spill in Mexico Beach

The well has been successfully capped although they are still testing it to make sure it is going to "hold" (for lack of a more technical term).   This, of course, is not the end all---the well still has to be plugged to stop the oil from escaping altogether.   The relief wells are ahead of schedule and could be finished by the end of July to mid-august.

The skimmers are working more effeciently and if they ever get that big "whale" skimmer working I think we will have a very good handle on everything.

I don't know why its taken so long, but they have finally gotten some people working on this problem that know what they are doing!!!!

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Mexico Beach has remained oil free--the oil plume is over 140 miles from Panama City, so even farther away from us!!!

I believe we may come out unscathed in this whole mess!   Our beaches are beautiful, the water clean!

We have daily fly overs and boats scouting the area daily----we have no reported oil of any kind from the oil spill!!!
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Our industry, real estate and tourism has been adversely affected due to the threat of oil hitting our beaches simply because it seemed like there was no stopping the oil gushing from the well.

Now, that there has been some containment and it looks like there is an end in sight, and we our beaches have not been impacted, I believe both industries will come back even stronger!!!

If you've been holding off waiting to see what was going to happen---you may want to get off that fence while interest rates are still so low, and sellers still motivated!!!

We have continued to show property and write contracts during all this, albeit at a slower rate than normal----I think that is about to change!
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Please feel free to call me anytime!
Mary
850-896-5222
http://www.maryblackburn.com/

Weekend update Mexico Beach Fl

The winds have shifted and are now expected to push the oil plume this way (I mean east of where it is right now) over the next several days.  However, the winds right now are light.

It still has a ways to get to our beaches, and there is no expectation it will reach Mexico Beach over the next 3 days------that's as far out as they predict.  I believe it will take longer than that and the winds would have to continue to blow it our way for quite some time. 

So for right now................our weather is gorgeous, the beach is clean, the water wonderful......come and enjoy!!!!
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Federal waters are closed out to the Cape.  State waters are still open, up to 9 miles out from Mexico Beach.   

I talked to some friend who went fishing yesterday---They went 35 miles out---to Federal Waters that are not closed and caught a ton of fish...................Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack!!!    They had a great time!!!

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As for real estate---------yep, its slowed way down!!     We are still showing property and signing contracts although not at the pace we were before the O. S. (oil spill).    

The people that are looking and buying are people who feel extremely confident that now is a great time to buy---prices down, interest rates just over 4%, the oil may or may not come.    If it does come, we clean it up and move on!   They are buying for the long haul!
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If you are looking to purchase, give me a call and we'll get started looking!

Mary
850-896-5222
http://www.maryblackburn.com/
Sundance Realty
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Oil Spill update for Mexico Beach Florida

Just a quick update:

The weather has certainly been working in our favor.  The winds have pushed the oil plume west instead of our way!!    We are right now not seeing any oil impact at all---should be another beautiful weekend in Mexico Beach!

Federal waters are closed for fishing however--State waters still open!

Don't hesitate to call if you have any other questions!

Mary
850-896-5222
http://www.maryblackburn.com/

Great 4th of July Weekend in Mexico Beach Fl

We had a great weekend in Mexico Beach!     All the hotels on the beach were filled as well as the majority of vacation rentals.    The weather (on and off rain showers) didn't deter any of the revelers!!! 

The fireworks were great---its always a great time to sit on the beach and watch all the private fireworks before and after the City show. 

If you were one of the zillion people who called to make reservations at the last minute and couldn't find a place to stay-------I hope you book early next year!!!

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As for the oil-----------WE HAVE NONE!!    The men/women on the beach, the boats in the water, the aerial flyovers are all looking for it and THERE HAS BEEN NO CONFIRMED SIGHTINGS OF ANY OIL OF ANY KIND in our area. 

Below is a picture of the most recent trajectory map.   I've put a circle where Mexico Beach to Cape San Blas is just in case some of you are not familiar with the area. 

Of course, we are still anticipating some kind of effects of the oil.  By the time it gets here, they say it will be
weathered, meaning non-toxic.   

The one thing I can say is that we are NOT going to look anything like what it looks like in Lousiana!   We are expecting tar balls, perhaps some tar mats.......If it comes on-shore, I can assure you it will be cleaned up quickly!!!!  

Other than that we are taking this one day at a time!!!

As of right now, we are oil free, open for business, and as beautiful as ever!!

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The Federal fishing has been closed, meaning you can only fish in state waters---that's about 9 miles out from the beach.    While my husband is a charter boat captain, I can only speak the basic language of fishing, so please call him with any specific questions when related to fishing!!!    Chip:  850-527-6272.


The MBARA annual King fish Tourney is approaching quickly--the end of August. 

The way it stands right now, the tournament is still on.   We will have the Captain's Party at the El Governor Friday night, the 27th.  The tournament will start Saturday.  Awards afterwards at Marquardt's. 

We are going to cancel the fish fry at Beacon Hill park just because there are too many variables to plan for it adequately now---but next year!!!!!!!

I believe there is also going to be a dance at Toucan's Saturday night!!

It's still going to be a fun weekend no matter what, so don't change your plans! 

4th of July in Mexico Beach Fl

We are seeing no oil of any kind on our beaches.   The Deepwater Horizon website says they have spotted oil 30 miles from Panama City.  So while it is definitely getting closer it has not and will not hit our beaches this weekend!

The Whale, the massive skimmer from Taiwan, has arrived on the coast of Louisiana.  It can supposedly skim 300,000-400,000 barrels of oil a day!!    Finally, some real help!!!

We are continuing to daily patrol the beach, the water, the air for signs of oil.  

While our weather has been extremely rainy all week (Thanks to tropical depression Alex) we still plan on having a great 4th of July.    A 5K race in the morning, kids fishing tourney on the canal, and of course the fireworks.   They will be shot off the pier---so bring chairs, blankets....and watch the show on the beach!!

Have a great weekend!   I'll be working this weekend if you are interested in seeing any property!!!
Mary
850-896-5222