Why do we STILL not know, with reasonable accuracy, how much oil is pouring into the Gulf?

Why, when scientists have accurate methods available to measure the amount of oil gushing out, are they forced to make guesstimates based on BP's video feeds?

Why is BP still being allowed to conceal this information and prevent accurate measurement by third parties? Why is their protection from liability still allowed to trump our right to know the size of the disaster we're facing?

The containment cap is said to have captured about 15,000 barrels of oil in the last 24 hours, and that's just part of what's spilling out. Clearly the initial estimate of 5,000 barrels/day was a total lie, as we all thought it was. Isn't there now enough evidence to say we can't trust ANYTHING BP is saying with regard to the size of this problem???

Here's more:

Scientist: BP Oil Spill Estimates Improbable
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126975907

"BP has started to provide more video to a Senate committee. But the oil company rejected a plan that would have produced an independent measure of the oil flow."

I appreciate Obama's new tough "let's kick ass" stance, but for me this is a major reason to think BP is really still in charge and everything else is just BS. How can the government claim to be in control when we can't even get clearance for a neutral observer to measure the spill using accurate methods?

Thanks for the link.

or some bullshit thing to do with money

It's short sighted and it will backfire on both.

You can't fool Mother Nature.

BP can't stop them. The ocean isn't private property. What do the deeds say?

It does not take a genius if you have the data. The problem is that only BP has the data.

I'm a pretty good engineer and I can't think of a way to do it...

They might have time to respond to your request for information since BP isn't giving them the time of day or access.

the flow rate technical group (is that an actual organization?)

I'm simply asking how what was proposed as a relatively simple task would be accomplished.

If so, I sure would appreciate a way to see who they are and what they're up to! Thanks!

So you might want to find out how to reach them and ask!

it isn't that easy to measure. Punch a few holes in your garden hose and throw it into the deep end of your pool and turn on the faucet...and then find a way to accurately determine how much is going in. (marking the edge of the pool is cheating in this example and so is diving down and attaching flowmeters)

But in any case, why is the exact number even -important-? It should be ZERO. There's way too much hysteria in the attempt to fix blame and not enough action to actually DO something. We can always go back and hack the perpetrators to pieces on the steps of the Capitol after the problem is ameliorated.

that's the problem.

Now I'm confused, are you agreeing with me that making even a cursory measurement of the pressure is almost impossibly difficult?

:shrug:

And that BP's lawyers are advising against granting them access as it would not be in BP's best interest.

And that that is the main problem, not the challenge of actually measuring the pressure.

(correctly) that knowing the pressure and the size of the pipe would allow a simple calculation to arrive at the flow rate. I agreed in principle but I was asking how could the pressure be -measured-. Not trying to be contrary, I want this clusterfuck stopped as much as anyone but I think pie in the sky solutions don't really accomplish much.
I would assume you agree...?

In other words, regardless of 'access', the problem IS, EXACTLY, "actually measuring the pressure".
Still waiting for somebody to tell me how it could be done. ;-)

vs an anoumous internet user talking about kiddie pools and garden hoses, pie in the sky.

...

...should answer the question.

Your punctured house in a pool analogy is interesting, but ignores
the fact that we can create a pitot tube thats quite small compared
to the bore of the BP leaks; that's a lot harder for your "pool" case.

Tesha

So it's in BP's economic interest to keep estimating low, and trying to influence the guessers so that they'll come back with a low estimate of just how much BP fouled the Gulf. At the current estimated rate of 100,000 barrels per day, BP could be on the hook for about $21.5 billion in fines. You can bet your boots that if a finding is issued of, say, 250,000 barrels per day (and a concomitant fine approaching $50 billion) spewing out of the wellhead, BP will get a fix on the number of barrels toot fucking sweet, and do that they can to force a smaller finding.

I know; you're shocked that it comes down to something so crass as money.

Can they file for bankruptcy to evade their obligations?

is that it depends enormously on the percentage of natural gas mixed in with the oil. Some of the higher estimates have assumed that the flow was all oil, whereas the problems were initially caused by the fact that there is an abnormally high percentage of gas mixed in. (from a thread on The Oil Drum)

because it's somewhat esoteric and also involves a lot of unknown data...all of which and in addition to compressibility issues at those depths make estimates very difficult.

wet their pants at the thought of an unhappy international, conglomerate and will do ANYTHING for them at the cost of the working class suffering...er...I mean making sacrifices so uber rich people can have that third yacht!

Remember the ONLY thing corporations care about is profit maximization.

That's Capitalism for ya.