Month: August 2012

As Isaac steadily weakens and moves off to the north, the clouds are starting to part over the Gulf of Mexico and workers are making their way back to the offshore platforms that had been evacuated.  Reports of actual and potential oil spills in the Gulf are coming in to the National Response Center, and can be seen on our SkyTruth Alerts map.  Several have caught our eye, including a report from Chevron…

There's some serious speculation that old oil from the 2010 BP / Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf could get churned up from the seafloor, and exposed by erosion of beaches and marshes, as a result of Hurricane Isaac's wind and wave action. And as we've seen in past storms, new leaks and spills can occur from storm-pummeled platforms, pipelines, storage tanks and other facilities. If you do see what you think could be a leak or…

Heeeeer's Isaac.... This MODIS / Terra color satellite image of the Gulf was taken at 16:30 hours UTC (1:30 pm Central time). Isaac is now a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained winds of 75 mph, moving steadily toward the northwest at 10 mph. It's expected to make landfall along the Louisiana coast tonight.  Right now it's passing through the offshore oil fields, throwing a right hook at the platforms and pipelines on the east side of…