Gulf spill 'an oil industry landmark'

The Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico represents a first opportunity for the oil industry to research a number of processes, it is claimed.

Chemical engineers from Louisiana State University and Tulane University note the events that followed the failure of the BP-operated drilling rig.

Among them is the first leak of substantial amounts of oil at a significant depth below the surface of the ocean.

In this case, the leak occurred 5,000 feet down, raising questions as to how the oil may have dispersed on its route to the surface.

Meanwhile, this is the first time the oil industry response to a leak has included adding dispersants at the wellhead, they add.

"As a result, what will happen to all of this oil, where it will go and what effects it will have on the environment are not well understood," reports publisher Mary Ann Liebert.

The findings are part of a forecasting model printed in the publisher's Environmental Engineering Science.