Dot Earth: A Little Oil Goes a Long Way

A double-ended tanker design built by Aker Yards can plow through thick ice in reverse because of its hardened stern, and ply open waters with its conventional bow. (Credit: Aker Yards) Absorbent barriers floated along the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Thursday. (Lee Celano for The New York Times) With all the talk about an an oil rush in the Arctic, it’s useful to ponder the old-fashioned accident that just occurred on the mighty Mississippi River in New Orleans, where one leaking barge has spread a slick down nearly 100 miles of the river toward the Gulf of Mexico, closing that vital waterway to all ship traffic while cleanup crews figure out next steps. The Arctic is a very different place, both because the water is so much colder that oil tends to congeal more, and because sea ice (at least in winter... [read full story]