Oxygenation for dead zones

[ashling]

This might sound a little far fetched, and indeed it might be, but a lot of things sounded far fetched at first.

Perhaps BP should be required to oxygenate any dead zones created as a result of the oil. We aerate ponds and bubble oxygen through aquariums. I realize the scale is magnitudes greater than
a tank of neon tetras or even the Monterey Aquarium or, Seaworld.

But I watch this video feed of oil and gas billowing from the sea floor - displacing the oxygen in the water column, and I think: "Why shouldn't there be pipes putting oxygen back into the environment.

Shouldn't be too hard for the same technology that brought us to this point to do something good.

OK, now go ahead and tell me why you think I am an idiot and it could never work ... and when humans weren't meant to fly, etc.

[Iterate]

1. Actually, I remember an idea

that involved the use of collared floats that had long tubes extending to depth from them.

Originally it was a rather inane idea to lessen hurricane intensity by bringing cooler water from depth to the surface. The idea was that, if the collar extended to above mean wave height, it would act as a very slow natural pump as water lapped over the edges.

For hurricanes it would be foolish, but for the more limited area of submerged oil concentrations it might be engineered either to bring suspended oil to the surface for filtering or to oxygenate a deep layer.

Anyway, that's what one minute of thinking will buy you. It's in the next minute of thinking where you wonder if after having 5000 oil-coated plastic tubes wash up a on a beach it was such a good idea.