How the gods must see the oil spill

Dan Satterfield, chief weather man for WHNT TV in Huntsville, Alabama, is not one of those mainstream media celebrities driven by the need to accumulate ratings with the quick and easy story full of sensational statements. Dan has a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric physics and a master’s degree in earth science. He forecasts the weather by day and blogs about topics “that I have too little time for on air” on his site, Dan’s Wild Wild Science Journal. The fluffy-sounding title belies the solid science information he posts for his readers.

While most of his posts are about climate science and he seems particularly exorcised by the segment of the public that denies human impacts on global change, he takes great care to present material that is factual and from solid sources. He doesn’t dumb down information. He takes the time to explain information so that junior high kids can understand what he is talking about. In addition to his commitment to explaining the science, Dan has a good eye for what his readers might be interested in. Check out this image of a 1962 oil company advertisement he found.
http://wildwildweather.com/forecastblog/2010/06/truth-in-advertisinghumble-now-exxon-oil-advert-from-1962/

But it is Dan’s weather perspective on the oil spill that is unique. On April 20th Dan was preoccupied with the Alabama hurricanes. For nine days, his blog is filled with hurricane facts, maps, and photos. He didn’t post on the oil spill until April 29th. Even although he was late to the scene, Dan’s cloud’s eye view and interpretation of the information for his readers conveyed the severity of the spill immediately. From then on, he has tracked the spill as closely as the daily weather, producing ongoing commentary that is much like a serialized novel rich in imagery and detail. The climate science is an added bonus. If we only watch the oil spill from 30,000 feet we run the risk of disengaging from the suffering of people below much like the mythic Greek gods perched on Mount Olympus. But every now and then, we all should see the spill from this angle - thanks to Dan we can - to absorb the enormity of the event. Being gods for just a moment may move each of us to consider our role in the tragedy.