A 2003 research paper by Kvenvolden and Cooper in Geo-Marine Letters estimated that natural seeps dump 140,000 metric tons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico each year - over one million barrels of crude per year. In fact, the authors estimate that 47% of all the petroleum found in the sea is from natural seeps - the largest single source, ahead of airborne pollution, ground runoff and drilling/shipping accidents. _EnergyTribune
Worldwide seeps can add up to more that 14 million barrels a year, and in the Gulf of Mexico the NRC report suggests that the annual flow from the seabed is around 1 million barrels/year. (Etkin puts the high end estimate at 1,400,000 barrels a year). _BitTooth
Mother nature has had billions of years (approx.) to learn to deal with oil seeps. And mother nature has not wasted her time, either. Micro- and macro-organisms have developed a wide assortment of tools -- enzymes -- which efficiently break down hydrocarbons and many other potentially toxic chemicals in very short order.
The remainder of the natural oil not evaporated each year is broken down by oil-eating bacteria (which did not instantly evolve in the hours following the Deepwater Horizon explosion - more proof that oil is constantly entering the seas) or it is buried in sediments along with other hydrocarbon-rich detritus - both equally scalable processes. _EnergyTribune
The Obama Pelosi government has instituted an oil drilling moratorium for the Gulf of Mexico which is likely to do far more economic harm to the region than any combination of artificial spills plus natural seeps. While Mr. Obama and his fellows may refer, jokingly, to the Gulf region as the "Redneck Riviera", the people who live and work there take their livelihoods a bit more seriously.
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But honestly, what is just a little more national economic pain, when compared to the eco-destruction taking place everywhere that Mr. Obama's hand has touched? Mr. Obama may feel that he can always institute a "bailout" to his friends and supporters, causing no harm to anyone that he cares about. In the short run, he may be correct.
By. Al Fin
Al Fin runs a number of very successful blogs that cover, energy, technology, news and politics. More