Joel Achenbach explored what went wrong on the Deep Water Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico the night it exploded and left an open gusher at the bottom of the ocean. He found that there was never one major mistake or any serious oversight that catastrophically caused the collapse of the system and … Continue reading Risk
Category: A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea by Joel Achenbach
Bargains
In his book about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, author Joel Achenbach explains the steps that were taken by both BP and the United States Government to solve the problem of the broken well leaking oil thousands of feet below the surface. Our government eventually established a think tank task force … Continue reading Bargains
Crisis
In his book, A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea, author Joel Achenbach explores the 2010 disaster of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He examines the decisions that were made leading up to the night the well broke open, and how a solution to the worst oil spill in history … Continue reading Crisis
What is in Crude Oil?
When we think of crude oil we probably don’t think of much unless we are somehow connected to a science or oil career. Our image of pumping oil from the ground or from the ocean floor probably involves some sort of pipe with black sludge flowing out of it. What Joel Achenbach explains in his … Continue reading What is in Crude Oil?
The Gulf
Joel Achenbach explained the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in great detail in his book, A hole at the Bottom of the Sea. He explored what went wrong on the oil platform that exploded and what was done to seal the well at the bottom of the ocean. Achenbach also explored why … Continue reading The Gulf
Saving the Country
In Joel Achenbach’s book, A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea: The race to Kill the BP Oil Gusher, we are presented with a reality that is very concerning about the designed, engineered, and increasingly complex world that we live in. Our systems today are so well connected and include so many different moving … Continue reading Saving the Country
Material Science
In his book Stuff Matters Mark Miodownik explores the world of every day materials that shape our lives and understandings of the world. He looks at steel, concrete, foam, and more to show us how complex our seemingly simple world is. He continually reveals the misconceptions people have about the materials in our daily world by … Continue reading Material Science