Hurricane Alex ADCIRC model

What will a hurricane do to the massive oil slick churning in the Gulf of Mexico?

Hurricane Alex, which impacted south Texas and parts of Mexico in June, is the best source of data  scientists have for studying this question.  According to Rick Luettich, an oceanographer and director of UNC Chapel Hill’s Center of Excellence for Natural Hazards, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, Alex, a minimal hurricane, taught us that a tropical storm absolutely will move the oil.

“Alex never got terribly strong but it did cover a fair distance,” says Luettich, who also serves as RENCI’s chief scientist for coastal programs.  “Just the fact that it had any noticeable impact on the Gulf gives you an idea of how far reaching those (storm) effects can be.”

Luettich talked about hurricanes and the Gulf spill during an interview on the Weather Channel that aired July 22. Luettich and his research team are creating computer models that show how oil could disperse in the Gulf if a hurricane hits the area.

Read Scientific American story.

Visit the Coastal Resilience Center website.