The Gulf Oil Spill: What 5,000 Barrels a Day Means

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Graphic shows how big the Gulf oil spill could get if the flow rate of 5,000 barrels per day continues. (Image credit: Karl Tate)

As oil creeps onto the the Louisiana coast Friday, and officials scramble to put measures in place to protect fragile wetlands, oil continues to gush out from deep beneath the Gulf seafloor. Here's what things could look like if the oil leak, which started after the rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and then sank on April 22, 2010, doesn't get plugged.

Karl Tate
Karl Tate
LiveScience Infographic Artist
Karl has been Purch's infographics specialist across all editorial properties since 2010.  Before joining Purch, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University.
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