Center for the Environment

Upcoming Events

Oil, Water and Wildlife: the Gulf of Mexico Disaster and Related Environmental Issues

John Bickham, Ph.D.
Forestry and Natural Resources
January 25 @ 2:30 PM
Deans Auditorium, Pfendler Hall
Abstract

Abstract:The BP Macondo oil field spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest oil spill in US history and has the potential to impact sea turtle and marine mammal populations, among others. This presentation will review the genotoxic effects of oil exposure in wildlife and discuss the potential for an oil spill to impact wildlife populations. Whereas some aspects of a spill are predictable, each spill is different because oils are highly variable as are the environments in which they occur. I will discuss what has been learned from previous spills including the Exxon Valdez and the soviet oil legacy in Azerbaijan, and potential dangers of offshore oil development in the Arctic. Related Purdue University research efforts in oil-spill related engineering and science also will be highlighted.

How Big was the BP Oil Spill? Getting the Truth

Richard Harris
NPR News Science Correspondent
Winner, 2010 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award
February 3 @ 3:30 pm
Pfendler Hall, Deans Auditorium
Abstract, Flyer

Abstract: The Role of Partnerships between Scientists and Journalists in the BP Oil Spill
In mid-May, NPR first reported that the government was grossly underestimating the size of the BP oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico. NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris broke that story by working closely with scientists in academia, including Professor Steve Wereley at Purdue University. Richard will recount how he got onto that story, how his reporting unfolded, and how the partnership between journalist and scientists ended up affecting the U.S. government's approach to what we now recognize as an environmental impact of historic proportions.

Richard Harris, NPR News
Science Correspondent
Winner, 2010 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award

Award-winning journalist Richard Harris reports on science issues for NPR's newsmagazines Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition.

Harris, who joined NPR in 1986, has traveled to the ends of the earth for NPR. His reports have originated from Timbuktu, the South Pole, the Galapagos Islands, Beijing during the SARS epidemic, the center of Greenland, the Amazon rain forest and the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In 2010, Harris' reporting uncovered that the blown-out BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was spewing out far more oil than asserted in the official estimates. He covered the United Nations climate negotiations, starting with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, followed by Kyoto in 1997 and Copenhagen in 2009. Harris was a major contributor to NPR's award-winning 2007-2008 "Climate Connections" series.

Before joining NPR, Harris was a science writer for the San Francisco Examiner. From 1981 to 1983, Harris was a staff writer at The Tri-Valley Herald in Livermore, California, covering science, technology, and health issues. Under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Harris spent the summer of 1980 as a Mass Media Science Fellow reporting on science issues for The Washington Star, in Washington, D.C.

A California native, Harris was valedictorian of his graduating class at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1980. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology, with highest honors.

Sponsors

College of Liberal Arts
Global Sustainability Initiative
Center for the Environment
Energy Center
Purdue Oil Spil Community
Purdue Marketing and Media

Can Mother Nature Take a Punch? - Microbes and the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Terry Hazen
DOE BER Distinguished Scientist
Head of the Ecology and Microbial Communities Departments and Center for Environmental Biotechnology, at the Joint BioEnergy Institute
February 21 @ 3:30 pm
MRGN 121
Download Flyer
Abstract

Abstract: Can Mother Nature take a punch and stay standing? If the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is any indication, then the answer seems to be yes. The explosion on April 20, 2010 at the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, resulted in the dispersment of an immense oil plume 4,000 feet below the surface of the water. Despite spanning more than 600 feet in the water column and extending more than 10 miles from the wellhead, the dispersed oil plume was gone within weeks after the wellhead was capped - degraded and diluted to undetectable levels. Furthermore, this degradation took place without significant oxygen depletion. The main degrader was a new and unclassified species of oil-eating bug that apparently lives on the floor of the Gulf where oil seeps are common. Was this event a miracle or simply nature's own environmental restoration crews doing what they do?

Terry Hazen, a microbial ecologist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a principal investigator with both the Energy Biosciences Institute and the Joint BioEnergy Institute, led a research team that spent months studying the Gulf spill from the front lines as it unfolded, on board the R/V Ferrel and several other research vessels. Their results, which were published in the on-line edition of Science on August 26, 2010, provided the first data ever on microbial activity from a deepwater dispersed oil plume. This data suggests that a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation of oil plumes exists in the deep-sea.

Past Events

BP Oil Spill Physics Challenge

Steve Wereley
December 2, 2010
4:00 pm, Fowler Hall
Details
Abstract

Abstract: On May 13 Professor Wereley used optical feature tracking to estimate the volume flow of oil from the on-going BP Macondo oil field spill. Several other independent scientists also performed similar measurements at about the same time. These several measurements were all in the ballpark of 20,000-100,000 barrels per day--greatly in excess of the estimates provided by BP of 5,000 barrels per day. The unforeseen effect of these first independent flow rate calculations was to bring the issue of oil flow rate to the fore. Wereley was subsequently appointed to a government task force called the Flow Rate Technical Group to calculate an official government flow rate estimate. The group arrived at an official, government-sanctioned estimate of 35,000-60,000 barrels of oil per day after requesting and receiving better quality and longer videos of the oil flow. This presentation/discussion will center on those calculations, their limitations, their improvement and their future uses in this on-going disaster. In particular, the Purdue Physics community will be challenged to look at these same images and movies and arrive at their best estimates of flow rate.

I am going to go through an exercise in the seminar in which all the attendees come up with their own estimate of the oil flow rate. I will come to the seminar with handouts of still frames extracted from the first movie that BP posted on May 12. You can work through the calculations during the seminar. It doesn't take long. Additionally, I know that some of you are excited to get your hands on the videos and do a closer inspection yourselves. In case that describes you, I've posted the video and several frames that I've extracted from the video on my web site. The address is: https://engineering.purdue.edu/~wereley/oilspill/

Feel free to spend some time looking at the video and images extracted from the video and use whatever approach you think correct to come up with a solid estimate of the oil flow rate. Also, the video is posted in a streaming format here: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/548775/

http://engineering.purdue.edu/~wereley

Professor Wereley has bachelor degrees in Physics (Lawrence University, 1990) and Mechanical Engineering (Washington University, St. Louis, 1990) followed by masters and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University (1992 and 1997). He is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University where he has been working since 1999. His current research interests focus on fluid flows in microscopic domains, commonly known as microfluidics. Professor Wereley is the co-author of Fundamentals and Applications of Microfluidics (Artech House, 2002 and 2006) and Particle Image Velocimetry: A Practical Guide (Springer, 2007). The latter book led to his involvement with the oil spill because the total amount of oil spilled is a central issue in the still ongoing oil spill debate.

The National Air Quality Forecasting System and Investigation of Regional Air Quality Impact of the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill

Daewon W. Byun
Air Resources Laboratory, OAR, NOAA
November 8, 2010 @ 3:30pm
Lilly 2-425
Download Flyer

Ecological Consequences and Challenges Resulting from the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Ruben Goforth
Forestry and Natural Resources
November 5 @ 11:30 am
PFEN 241
Abstract

Abstract: The Gulf of Mexico encompasses diverse aquatic ecosystems that support both high inherent biodiversity and ecological functions critical for maintaining significant human food sources. There is no question that the Gulf oil spill has had direct impacts on these ecosystems, and it is likely that these ecological consequences will continue to proliferate and expand well into the future. There are many challenges to be faced in the ecological recovery of the Gulf of Mexico, and both innovative approaches for restoration and larger-scale social changes will likely be necessary to achieve even a modest level of recovery.

Modeling and simulation of economic and social aspects of oil spill (tentative)

Alok Chaturvedi
Management
October 22, 2010
MANN 203
Download Flyer
Abstract

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

BP Oil Spill: A Look at What Happened (tentative)

William Zinsmeister
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
11:30 am, October 15
MANN 203
Abstract

Abstract: The explosion and fire on Deepwater Horizon on the night of April 20th led to the biggest oil spill in the history of the United States. Although the accident is still under investigation, a number of facts have emerged that provide insight into the causes of the accident. I will review the sequence of events that may have caused the initial explosion, attempts to contain the leaking oil, and the lessons learned by the oil companies and the federal government.

Oil Spill Research Workshop, Purdue Green Week

October 4-8 2010
PFEN 241
Abstract

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

Economic and Social Impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill: Examining the Impacts on the Toursism System

Jonathon Day and Sandra Sydnor-Busso
Hotel and Tourism Management
11:30 am, September 17, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: The BP oil spill has had significant impact on the Gulf impacting not only the ecology but also economy of the region. Drs. Day and Sydnor-Busso are leading studies to examine the impact of the Gulf oil spill on the tourism industry in the region. Studies to be discussed include an examination of changes in the image of the gulf in the time since of the oil spill and an examination of the impact of the spill on tourism businesses.

Use of Bioluminescence for Monitoring In-situ Microbial Metabolism of Xenobiotics

Bruce Applegate
Food Science
Friday, September 10, 2010
11:30 a.m.
Mann Hall, Rm. 203
Abstract

Abstract: Bacterial bioluminescence is commonly associated with symbiosis in association with marine organisms. One of the most extensively studied bioluminescent bacteria is VIbrio fischeri and its mutualistic relations hip with squid. The genetic machinery responsible for luminescence in V. fischeri was determined over 30 years ago and the lux genes have been used to develop reporter assays for studying gene expression using luminescence. The luxCDABE gene cassette has been used in numerous environmental applications including:
• Detection of water soluble crude oil components including the BTEX compounds
• In situ metabolism of the ground water pollutant trichloroethylene
• Detection of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
• Mapping of a groundwater plume of the water soluble components of JP4 jet fuel
• Detection and metabolism of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
Use of bioluminescence microbes offers an interesting approach to study the in-situ bioavailability and metabolism of the water soluble crude oil components.

The Importance of Social Networks Post-Crisis

Daniel Aldrich
Political Science
12:30 pm, September 3, 2010 (PLEASE NOTE A CHANGE OF TIME)
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: Disasters remain among the most critical events which impact residents and their neighborhoods; they have killed far more individuals than high salience issues such as terrorism. Unfortunately, disaster recovery programs run by the United States, NGOs, and foreign governments have not been updated to reflect a new understanding of the essential nature of social capital and networks. I call for a re-orientation of disaster preparedness and recovery programs at all levels away from the standard fixes focused on physical infrastructure towards ones targeting social infrastructure. The reservoirs of social capital and the trust (or lack thereof) between citizens in disaster-affected communities can help us understand why some neighborhoods in cities like Kobe, Japan, Tamil Nadu, India, and New Orleans, Louisiana displayed resilience while others stagnated. Social capital - the engine for recovery - can be deepened both through local initiatives and interventions from foreign agencies.

Seminar "BP Oil Spill: A Look At What Happened"

William Zinsmeister
Department of Earth and Atmospheric
3:00 pm, September 2, 2010
PHYS 223
Abstract, Flyer

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

The Gulf Oil Spill - Pugwash Callout Event

7:00 pm, August 31, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: We'll be hosting a panel discussion on "The Gulf Oil Spill". Learn about how the crisis in the gulf unfolded and the future ramifications it holds for the region.
Our guest speakers will be:
Dr. Steve Wereley, who estimated the volume of oil leaking into the Gulf and testified before Congress
Dr. Reuben Goforth, an expert on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems
Dr. Jonathon Day, who will address the effects to local industry, specifically tourism
Dr. Leigh Raymond, a professor of environmental policy and protection
There will be free pizza and drinks provided!
Purdue Student Pugwash encourages social responsibility in science and technology in the lives of aspiring scientists and engineers. Join us weekly for lecture events, small group discussions, tours of Purdue research facilities, science builds/ demonstrations, and socials. Visit our website for more information at www.purdue.edu/pugwash.

Systemic Failures in Complex Engineered Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

Venkat Venkatsubramanian
Chemical Engineering
11:30 am, August 27, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: The BP oil spill disaster has reminded us, once again, the potential for systemic failures in complex engineered systems. We have been here before but we don't seem to have learnt all the important lessons yet.

In the history of chemical plant accidents, a few disasters have served as wake up calls. The worst was the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, in 1984. Thousands were killed and about a hundred thousand were seriously injured by the poisonous methyl isocynate gas that was released in the accident at Union Carbide's plant in Bhopal, India. Another one was Piper Alpha, an offshore oil platform operated by Occidental Petroleum in the North Sea, about 200 miles from Aberdeen, Scotland, which exploded in 1988 killing 167 people and resulted in about $2 billion losses. Even though the human casualties were low, this list would also include the 1989 Exxon Valdez and, now, the BP oil spill, both of which are very serious from an environmental damages perspective.

Such systemic failures are not limited to the chemical and petrochemical industries alone. The 2003 Northeast electrical power blackout was a systemic failure. Financial disasters such as Enron, WorldCom, subprime derivatives market, and so on, also belong to the same class. While these are different disasters that happened in different domains, different facilities, triggered by different events, involve different chemicals, and so on, there are, however, certain common underlying patterns behind such systemic failures. These patterns teach us important fundamental lessons that we had better learn if we claim to be an intelligent adaptive society.

To understand these patterns and learn from them, we need to go beyond analyzing them as independent one-off accidents but in the broader perspective of the potential fragility of all complex engineered systems. We need to study all these disasters from a common systems engineering perspective so that we can thoroughly understand the commonalities as well as the differences in order to better design and control such systems in the future. Further, such studies need to be carried out in concert with public policy experts so that all the scientific and engineering lessons get translated into effective policies and regulations. In this talk, I will present an overview of the challenges we face and the ongoing research in our group to address these problems.

Into the Deep - Gulf of Mexico Petroleum Geology General Overview by Jim Ogg

James Ogg
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
11:30 am, August 20, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: Today, over 30% of USA oil comes from offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon disaster of April 2010 occurred when a successful oil exploration well was being terminated. It was only the most recent of several major blowouts that had punctuated the development of the Gulf of Mexico petroleum reservoirs.

We will tour several aspects of the fascinating petroleum geology and development history of this region, including Spindletop and Golden Lane, the one-day disaster that created the Cantarell giant field, the deep-sand target that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and the potential mega-fields of the sub-salt ultra-deep frontier.

Surfactant modified Membrane for the Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions

Jeffrey Youngblood
MSE
11:30 am, August 13, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: Stimuli-responsive polymer brushes sensitive to oil and water environments were used to modify silica filters of varying pore size. The polymer brushes on flat surfaces were both hydrophilic and oil-repellent. Filters showed the ability to selectively pass water and restrict the passage of oil, thus resulting in a reusable method of separating oil-water mixtures. Filters were characterized with respect to flow rate of individual droplets, and bulk fluid. In addition, the effectiveness of the filter was measured by the amount of oil in a fine dispersion which was able to pass through the filters.

Oil on the Water: How the Gulf Oil Spill May Affect Aquatic Life

Speaker: Dr. Reuben Goforth, assistant professor of forestry and natural resourcesJeffrey Youngblood
Time: 6:30pm, August 10, 2010
Location: K. Dees Coffee & Roasting Co., 1016 Main St., Lafayette
Summary: Dr. Goforth will discuss the effect the massive oil spill might have on a variety of species that live in and around the Gulf of Mexico.

View more information about Science Cafés (website) or view their flyer (PDF).

APS Colloquium

John W. Bickham
Forestry and Natural Resources
3:00 PM, August 4, 2010
Argonne National Lab, Bldg. 402
Abstract, Flyer

Abstract: The BP Macondo oil field spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest oil spill in US history and has the potential to impact sea turtle and marine mammal populations, among others. This presentation will review the genotoxic effects of oil exposure in wildlife and discuss the potential for an oil spill to impact wildlife populations. Whereas some aspects of a spill are predictable, each spill is different because oils are highly variable as are the environments in which they occur. I will discuss what has been learned from previous spills including the Exxon Valdez and the soviet oil legacy in Azerbaijan, and potential dangers of offshore oil development in the Arctic. Related Purdue University research efforts in oil-spill related engineering and science also will be highlighted.

The Environmental Chemistry of Dispersants, giving special emphasis to oil-water-surfactant interactions

Chad T. Jafvert
Civil Engineering
11:30 am, July 30, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract, Flyer

Abstract: Professor Jafvert first became involved in research on the environmental use and fate of surfactant (i.e., dispersant) in 1989 while he was an EPA research engineer. He had published several papers on the phase distribution of chemicals between surfactant micelles and water, on the effects of anionic surfactants and counter ions on interfacial properties, and on photochemistry reactions of pollutants in aqueous surfactant solutions. His broader research interests are on chemical and physical-chemical fate processes of anthropogenic substances in natural and engineered environments. In this seminar, he will review basic structure and function of dispersants, and touch on related environmental issues related to dispersant use.

Oil industry related environmental issues and research opportunities

John Bickham
Forestry and Natural Resources
11:30 am, June 18, 2010
MRGN 121
Abstract

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

Fire, Blowout and Platform Collapse

Jay Gore
Mechanical Energy
11:30 am, July 2, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

Two phase flow and inverted tank experiment (tentative)

Paul Sojka
Mechanical Engineering
11:30 am, July 16, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: There is no abstract available at this time.

Measuring the Oil Released in the BP Oil Spill

Steve Wereley
Mechanical Engineering
11:30 am, July 23, 2010
Mann 203
Abstract

Abstract: On May 13 Professor Wereley used optical feature tracking to estimate the volume flow of oil from the on-going BP Macondo oil field spill. The unforeseen effect of these first flow rate calculations was to bring the oil flow rate to the fore. Wereley was subsequently appointed to a government task force called the Flow Rate Technical Group to calculate an official government flow rate estimate. The group arrived at the estimate of 35,000-60,000 barrels of oil per day. This presentation/discussion will center on those calculations, their limitations, their improvement and their future uses in this on-going disaster.

The recent BP oil spill has triggered the need for expertise and capabilities to prevent such disasters from happening in the future and also the necessary tools and techniques to manage the situation during the pre and post crisis period. The faculty at Purdue whose expertise would overlap with the interests generated from the BP oil spill span over 7 different schools/colleges. The various departments the faculty are associated are Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Communication, Political Science, Management, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, Veterinary Clinical Pathology. The contacts and the research interests of the faculty are listed according to the schools/colleges they are associated with.

The Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory focuses on the study and simulations of fluid flows. The Laboratory for Applied Experimental Geophysics does research related to Synthetic and Natural Fractures and rock mechanics. The Laboratory for Intelligent Process Systems focuses on the development, integration and application of concepts and techniques to address challenging engineering problems. The micro fluidics laboratory does research in experimental fluid dynamics in micro/Nano domains and micro fabricating novel micro fluidic devices. The National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory does research in soil erosion by water including fundamental erosion process research, erosion control research, and delivery of improved erosion prediction technology. The Purdue Center for Systems Integrity provides the capability in system performance and supportability. The Purdue Mesoscale Modeling Laboratory does research to have a better understanding of the physics and dynamics of the atmosphere, as well as improve the accuracy of numerical weather prediction.