Oil Spill Along the Lebanese Coast

Among the casualties of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel in the summer of 2006 was the Mediterranean. Israeli raids in mid-July on the Jiyyeh Power Station released thousands of tons of oil along the Lebanese coast, perhaps rivaling the Exxon Valdex accident in 1989. By August 8, the spill covered approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture on August 15, 2006. The United Nations, the European Union, and the International Maritime Organization planned a meeting for August 17 to discuss cleanup operations, which had been delayed by the fighting between the neighboring countries.

This image shows Lebanon, its neighbor Syria, and the Mediterranean. Originating from the Jiyyeh Power Station, the oil slick spreads northward, well past the city of Beirut. The oil appears as a slightly darker shade of blue on the ocean water. Bright white clouds fringe the coastline, and the land area, though dotted with green, is largely brown and arid.

This is from the Nasa Earth Observatory page.

Everybody is being lied to about the Alaskan oil lines.

You know in I had a dream about Alaska among other things and those oil lines it blew my mind away at what I saw! Though I will say that if my dream is accurate it confirms more of what I have seen here and that everyone is being lied to about the Alaskan oil lines. However, I am not sure if I should release it.

However, your post was about Lebanon and an oil spill so I wanted know what does this have to do with Alaska?

Do you have a link to your story?

UN agrees Med oil spill plan

UN officials have drawn up an action plan to tackle a huge oil spill along the Lebanese and Syrian coastline.
Experts estimate that the initial clear-up will cost 50m euros (£34m), with more funds required next year.

The plan calls for immediate aerial surveys to assess the extent of the damage and a workforce of 300 people to tackle the worst-affected sites.

The measures were agreed at a meeting in Greece attended by Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Turkey and the EU.

The executive director of the environment programme at the United Nations, Achim Steiner, said it was a sad fact that the environment was a victim of the conflict.

"Now the bombs have stopped and the guns have been silenced we have a chance to rapidly assess the true magnitude of the problem and finally mobilise the support for an oil clean-up and a restoration of the coastline," he said in a statement.

"The experts are on standby and today the international community have agreed on an action plan.

"I sincerely hope we have secured the financial backing to swiftly and comprehensively deliver on this promise to the Lebanese people, on this request to the UN for assistance from the Lebanese authorities."

Concerted effort

Up to 15,000 tonnes of oil poured into the Mediterranean Sea last month after Israeli forces bombed a power station.


The spill was caused by Israeli bombing of the Jiyyeh power station

Marine experts were unable to visit the worst affected areas while the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continued, but Monday's ceasefire allowed them to begin on-the-ground assessments.

Local environmental and conservation groups said that some of the oil had settled on the sea floor, threatening areas where tuna spawn.

They also voiced concern that slicks on beaches would prevent young green turtles, an endangered species, from reaching the sea after they had hatched.

The meeting in Piraeus, which was hosted by the Greek Maritime Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis, agreed on measures to tackle pollution affecting shorelines in Lebanon and Syria.

Priorities include:


Recovery of floating oil in ports, harbours and the most heavily polluted sites

Testing of oil samples to see if they contain persistent organic pollutants, which are a potential risk to human health

Protection of sensitive areas such as nesting sites for birds and turtles, World Heritage Sites and tourist locations

The talks were co-chaired by UN Environment Programme (Unep) executive director Achim Steiner and Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Mr Mitropoulos said the action plan set the stage for wide-ranging assistance needed by the Lebanese and Syrian authorities.

"I sincerely hope that the damage to the environment is contained to the current level and that other Mediterranean Sea countries do not suffer as a result of the oil spill, also that we can all learn a lot from this tragic incident and take these lessons forward so we are better prepared in the future," he said.

Computer models suggest that about 20% of the oil has probably evaporated, with almost 80% now on the coastline, and around 0.25%, or some 40 tonnes, remaining at sea.

However, satellite images suggest that far larger amounts may remain afloat, with the potential to spread much further a field.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5260186.stm