Quote:
Originally Posted by aka123
The nature of natural oil leaks is very different.
"Seeps are generally very old and flow at a very low rate. The material that flows out is still very often toxic, but organisms some that live nearby are adapted to conditions in and around seeps. A few very unique species of animals are even able to use the hydrocarbons and other chemicals released at seeps as a source of metabolic energy. In addition, rather than being made up entirely crude oil, the material flowing from seeps is often heavily biodegraded by microbial action deep beneath the seafloor.
In contrast, the production, transportation, and consumption of oil by humans generally results in relatively short, high-volume inputs of oil and refined hydrocarbon products in places that have never experienced significant exposure to these chemicals and so do not have many natural defenses to them."
http://www.whoi.edu/oilinocean/page.do?pid=51880 |
no. they are not different. they are the same. there are no refined hydrocarbons, no refined anything. what would be different is the place a spill occurs being in a location not acclimated to seepage. the gulf of mexico is loaded with seepage and research since the disaster has shown nature's ability in the gulf to address the situation.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...anup-bacteria/
Moreover, the research is also in on the damage done by trying to clean up oil spills like this the way we do, it's been shown that just makes things worse.