This widget from PBS has both BP’s live video stream of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico and what PBS calls their Spillcam, an adjustable sliding scale meter showing the gallons of crude oil and natural gas being leaked in real time.
Oiled Brown Pelican upon intake May 20, 2010 at Fort Jackson, Louisiana Oiled Wildlife Center.
source: IBRRC photostream on Flickr
If you are as concerned about the effects on birds and wildlife from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as I am, you’ll be interested in watching this video and seeing how help is being given one bird at a time. The pictures and video tell the story.
As the severity of the Gulf Coast oil spill increases a number of wildlife rescue organizations are on the front line. Among the most prominent are the bird rescue specialists from International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC). IBRRC is working with Tri-State Bird Rescue, the lead oiled wildlife organization on the ground, to set up and staff rehabilitation centers in Louisiana, Alabama Mississippi, and Florida, where the growing oil slick will most impact the birds. To support the IBRRC’s efforts go here.
In this video from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Jay Holcomb, Executive Director of the IBRRC, explains to us what happens when a bird becomes oiled and demonstrates how an oiled bird from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is washed at the Fort Jackson Rehabilitation Center in Louisiana.
Before & After: Oiled Brown Pelican Washed at Fort Jackson, Lousiana Oiled Wildlife Center source: IBRRC photostream on Flickr
For me a well-designed infographic is the absolute best way of quickly seeing facts and situations and putting them in context. If you love looking at them, check out Fast Company’s Infographic of the Day. They typically find the best stuff. It is where I found the infographics I’m showcasing in this posting. Another good source is Information is Beautiful.
The Gulf oil spill has given some of the most talented information graphics designers a powerful platform. Here are three of the most masterful ones; there are links to the full sets of charts in each article.
Everything We Know About the BP Oil Spill. Seriously , Everything. The designer created almost 20 separate sets of graphs covering the environmental impact, the impact on the fishing industry, the mess of fixes BP is trying out, the financial costs, and the impact on the tourism industry.
The Ongoing Disaster of the Spill. This simpler infographic focuses on the costs of the spill, and ties the giant problem together. The ugly takeaway? A $500,000 safety valve–which BP actively resisted buying–could have prevented this. And now the costs of the spill are estimated to be around $23 billion. And that’s if everything continues as is, and the spill is actually capped in two months’ time.
Guide to the Oil Spill’s Impacts. This series of infographics deliver a stunningly rich chart of all the natural resources and businesses threatened by the disaster. It details both the top-level impacts of the spill and the local ecosystems under threat.
