An Oil Gusher Webcam
Representative Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts has asked BP and the head of the Coast Guard to start streaming the nonstop video of the seabed oil leaks that one of BP’s submersibles is capturing — to allow independent scientists (and the public) to monitor and assess the flow. If BP is averse to hosting the video on its Web site, Markey has offered up space on the global warming page at the Web site of the select committee that he leads.
It’s a great idea. Each time BP has released a video snippet, as it has done only when pushed over the last two weeks, the imagery has helped clarify what is going on, and what options are — and aren’t — likely to stanch the flow. More than that, though, every teachable moment needs visual aids.
Everyone has “tickers” of one sort or another these days. You can go to the Web site of the PBS program Newshour for one showing the estimated flow of oil in the gulf. To energize shareholders, Peabody Energy has a ticker charting second-by-second coal sales on its home page. With streaming video, the streams of oil can similarly be tracked — as the weeks, and possibly months, unfold. Live webcams from the Gulf of Mexico.