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Location: Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico Material spilled: Crude oil Amount spilled: est. 126 million gallons Spill extent: 1,100 sq. miles
For nearly ten months, the well poured oil into the Gulf at a rate initially estimated to be 30,000 barrels per day. That was later reduced by about one-third by pumping nearly 100,000 metal balls into the well. The well was eventually capped on March 23, 1980, after having released an estimated 126 million gallons of oil. A combined research cruise by the NOAA ship Researcher and contract vessel Pierce in September 1979 collected more than 1,000 samples for biogeochemical and microbiological studies and made detailed hydrographic surveys of the waters around the Itxoc 1 well. The cruise helped greatly advance knowledge of how oil behaves in the Gulf of Mexico. Testimonies & Briefings
September 24, 2010Testimony to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling John W. Farrington, Interim Dean and Professor, School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution DocumentsPreliminary Results from the September 1979 Researcher/Pierce Ixtoc-I Cruise (pdf)Symposium Proceedings, June 9-10, 1980. Ixtoc I Oil Well, Cruise Summary and Report (pdf) By John Farrington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution A summary and assessment report of data collected during research cruises in the Gulf of Mexico during the Ixtoc I oil spill. Last updated: July 28, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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