Gulf Oil Spill: How Much Oil Has Leaked Into The Gulf Of Mexico? (WIDGET)
The numbers on how much oil has been flowing out of the Deepwater Horizon well have varied wildly since it sank on April 22. At the low end, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) were flowing into the Gulf per day, which was the initial, official estimate. However, according to the New York Times, in a closed-door meeting with Congress, a BP executive conceded that as much as 2,520,000 gallons (60,000 barrels) could be gushing out. At the high end, experts have estimated that the rate could reach as high as 4.2 million gallons (100,000 barrels) a day.
To help visualize how much oil could have potentially flowed into the Gulf of Mexico so far, PBS has created a widget that corresponds how much oil has spilled to date to the estimate of your choice.
USE the widget::
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First Posted: 05/25/10 11:42 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 05:35 PM ET