Soap Bubble Science – Stopping the Effects of the Oil Spill

The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has been front page news for over a month now. Officials are still unable to clearly state how much oil is leaking out of the pipeline under the ocean while wildlife above and below the water struggle for survival. What we do know is this is the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. Red blobs of oil are seen floating on the water four miles from shore. Tar balls are washing up on the beaches and marshlands along the Louisiana coast.

The oil leak is in the minds of Americans along the eastern seaboard and all the way inland. Even young students are brainstorming ideas on how to stop the flow and help the environment. One fourth grade student at Walnut Hills Elementary turned her questions about the oil leak into her science fair project. She found that using dish soap can help with the clean up of seabirds’ feathers. If the birds are washed with a soapy mixture, the soap bubbles disperse the oil and takes it off feathers.

BP Amoco is the oil company responsible for the leak after an oil rig exploded and sank on April 20th. BP is trying to stop the oil leak by pumping heavy mud into the hole in a procedure called “top kill.” It will take a few days before BP will know if it worked or not. Right now, over 20,000 people are working to contain and clean up the oil.

(Update:  We changed the word Affects to Effects in the title of this post. Thank you, Janet of Montrose, Colorado, for looking out for us.)