UPDATE 5/1/06: The US Minerals Management service confirmed today that at least one major spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of damage to oil and gas infrastructure caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita (see http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2006/press0501.htm). Under US law, any offshore spill larger than 100,000 gallons is classified as a "major" spill. At least 6 spills greater than 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) have been confirmed by MMS, with the largest being 3,625 barrels (152,250 gallons). Cumulatively, these six spills alone are at least 362,000 gallons. (For comparison, the oil spill from a well blowout off Santa Barbara in 1969 totaled 200,000 gallons: it caused a slick 800 miles long and oiled 35 miles of beach.) MMS also reports that 457 pipelines were damaged, 101 of which were large diameter (10 inches or greater); that 146 spills of at least 1 barrel (42 gallons) have been reported so far, with 37 of these spills being 50 barrels (2,100 gallons) or greater. MMS cautions that the full extent of damage and spills is not yet known. -- UPDATE 2/3/2006: News reports in the Mobile Register reveal that a major oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on November 11, 2005, based on Coast Guard reports. A double-hulled oil tanker hit the submerged remains of an oil platform that had been destroyed by Hurricane Rita, opening a 35-foot-long gash in the hull of the 422-foot-long vessel, breaching the storage tanks and releasing up to 3 million gallons of heavy fuel oil. This ranks as one of the largest oil spills ever in the Gulf. (This oil spill is NOT depicted on the images in this gallery, which were all taken well before November 11.) -- UPDATE 11/6: Slicks on the September 2 radar satellite image cover a total area of 534 square miles (1,434 square kilometers). Assuming that those slicks are just 0.1um thick (1/10,000 of a millimeter, the estimated lower limit for detection on radar satellite images), that amounts to 38,000 gallons of oil. Based on the extensive slicks that also appear on the adjacent September 1 images, and ongoing small leaks from a few platforms for weeks following the storm, we conservatively estimate that more than 100,000 gallons of oil were released from the offshore platforms and pipelines damaged by Hurricane Katrina. (For comparison, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was 11 million gallons.) -- UPDATE 9/20: Radar satellite image taken on September 12th shows that the extensive slicks southwest of the delta seen on September 2nd have mostly dissipated. However, it does show apparently continuing leaks from several locations, including the platforms that were also apparently leaking on 9/2 and 9/9. We intepret the slicks as being very thin and not representing large volumes of oil, but indicating damage to these facilities that is causing persistent leakage. -- UPDATE 9/16: Coast Guard, NOAA and MMS aerial surveys in the Gulf have not detected a catastrophic oil spill, indicating the radar imagery is showing extensive but thin slicks of oil originating from numerous widely scattered sources. -- UPDATE 9/15: Images taken on September 2nd and September 9th show three platforms have apparently been leaking for more than a week. -- 9/9: Satellite images and aerial photographs are showing areally extensive slicks in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, suggesting widespread damage to oil and gas infrastructure (platforms and undersea pipelines). Approximately 2,144 platforms and 15,366 miles of seafloor pipeline lie within the zone that experienced hurricane-force winds. An additional 2,600 platforms and 12,470 miles of seafloor pipeline were exposed to tropical storm-force winds. Although the thickness of the slicks and therefore the volume of oil spilled can't be determined from these images, they show dozens of slicks extending across an area of more than 7,000 square miles, and could prove useful in the response and repair effort.