The Atlantic Hurricane Season is getting into full swing with tropical storms like Hurricane Alex firing up in the Gulf of Mexico bringing concerns over the British Petroleum oil spill’s impacts.

Previously, concerns over the movement of the massive spill were focused mainly on gulf currents and average winds. Now, as the first tropical storm strengthens in the gulf things like emulsification, storm surge and storm-force winds have become major concerns.

Emulsification is the process where some of the lighter elements are weathered away and the heavier elements mix with the water. Usually, emulsification requires about 3-4 parts of water for every one part of oil. Increased winds and choppy seas could mean that much larger swaths of the slick start emulsifying.

The process of emulsification is not unlike shaking a bottle of salad dressing. At first, the oil and vinegar are completely separate. As you shake the bottle, the oil and vinegar combine and become a thick, almost creamy liquid. If the oil and water are allowed to do this, it would make clean-up even more challenging.

The oil is destroying many coastal marshes and habitats for wildlife and plants in states immediately around the source of the spill. These marshes are part of an intricate system of barriers that protect coastal regions from the effects of tropical cyclones, like storm surge and could have severe impacts this year and for years to come.

Storm surge, or the measure of the increased height of the tides, is one of the most deadly and damaging aspects of hurricanes. The loss of the barrier marshes for Louisiana means that this deadly surge will be allowed even further inland than normal.

For a city like New Orleans, barrier marshes are critical. Without them, the oil, especially emulsified oil which doesn’t break down as easily, would be pushed onto the land instead of caught by the vegetation in the marsh. The impact from a hurricane like Katrina moving into The Big Easy could easily have been much worse under these conditions, which is hard to imagine.

Another interesting aspect of hurricanes hitting the gulf coast with the oil spill is in place is the wind. Hurricane force winds, or winds sustained at greater than 74 mph, are the main cause for storm surge. But as Midwesterners know, 75 mph winds can cause plenty of damage on their own, on the smaller scale of a tornado, but those strong winds sustained for several hours poses a major problem during hurricanes. BP recently announced that they would be removing all of their workers 5 days ahead of storm force winds, allowing the spill to move unchecked.

The impacts of this oil spill are endless. What are your thoughts on hurricane season and/or the oil spill?