OIL SPILLS AND THERE EFFECTS ON SEA LIFE

What is an Oil Spill?

An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term often refers to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters. The oil may be a variety of materials, including crude oil, refined petroleum products (such as gasoline or diesel fuel) or by-products, ships' bunkers, oily refuse or oil mixed in waste.

Oil Spill Facts

Spills take months or even years to clean up. Oil is also released into the environment from natural geologic seeps on the sea floor. Most human-made oil pollution comes from land-based activity, but public attention and regulation has tended to focus most sharply on seagoing oil tankers.

Effects On Sea Life

Hypothermia
Oil, a product that we often use to keep warm, can cause hypothermia in marine animals. As oil mixes with water, it forms a substance called "mousse," which sticks to feathers and fur .A bird's feathers are filled with air spaces that act as insulation and keeps the bird warm. When a bird gets coated with oil, the feathers lose their insulating ability and the bird could die of hypothermia.

Poisoning and Internal Damage Animals can be poisoned or suffer internal damage from ingesting oil. Effects include ulcers and damage to red blood cells, kidneys, liver and to the immune system. Oil vapors can injure to eyes and lungs, and can be particularly hazardous while new oil is still coming to the surface and vapors are evaporating.

Increased Predation Oil can weigh down feathers and fur, making it difficult for birds and pinnipeds to escape from predators. If they are covered with enough oil, birds or pinnipeds may actually drown.

Decreased Reproduction Oil spills can effect the eggs of marine life such as fish and sea turtles, both when the spill happens and later on. Fisheries were impacted years after the Exxon Valdez spill due to the destruction of herring and salmon eggs when the spill occurred. Oil can also cause disruption of reproductive hormones and behavioral changes that lead to reduced reproduction rates or affect the care of young.

Fouling of Habitat Oil spills in the can effect ocean habitat, both offshore and onshore.Before an oil spill reaches shore, the oil can poison plankton and other pelagic marine life.

Methods of Cleaning

Bioremediation: use of microorganisms or biological agents to break down or remove oil Controlled burning can effectively reduce the amount of oil in water, if done properly. But it can only be done in low wind citation needed, and can cause air pollution. Dispersants act as detergents, clustering around oil globules and allowing them to be carried away in the water. This improves the surface aesthetically, and mobilizes the oil. Smaller oil droplets, scattered by currents, may cause less harm and may degrade more easily. But the dispersed oil droplets infiltrate into deeper water and can lethally contaminate coral. Recent research indicates that some dispersants are toxic to corals. Dredging: for oils dispersed with detergents and other oils denser than water. Skimming: a machine that separates a liquid or particles floating on another liquid (Requires calm waters)

Way of Preventing Oil Spills

Double Hulling: A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface. Emergency Response Plans: This law says that the owners of the tanker must have a detailed plan on what they will do if there was a spill. They must have this plan written before any spill. Liability: The law says that the owners of a boat that spills oil will have to pay $1,200 for every ton they spill. Spill Fund: The law says that the government has money from companies that transport the oil so when a spill occurs, the government can pay for the clean up. Navigation: The law says that the Coast Guard must know where the oil tankers can drive without an oil spill occurring.

What is the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? The Exxon Valdez incident was a major oil spill. This oil spill took place on March 23, 1989 at Prince William Sound in Alaska. How did it happen? The drivers of the Exxon Valdez noticed icebergs in their planned route. Instead of trying to weave through the icebergs, they decided to go in another direction. On the new route, the oil tanker hit shallow land. The shallow land was not a beach, it was called Bligh Reef.

How did the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill affect the animals at Prince William Sound? The Exxon Valdez affected many animals at Prince William Sound in Alaska. The spill greatly affected sea otters and sea birds. There were about 2,800 sea otters and 250,000 seabirds killed by the spill. Harbor seals, bald eagles, killer whales, and salmon were also greatly affected by the spill.

How long did it take to clean the up spill? Because the spill impacted 1,300 miles, it took the Exxon Valdez Company four summers to clean up the spill. Some oil may still remain on the beaches. It took 10,000 workers, 1,000 boats, 100 airplanes, and the Navy, Army, and Air Force to clean up the spill. Exxon spent about $2.1 billion for the clean up.

Helping and Saving the Sea Life Today

Have you ever stopped to think what you use oil for? Every one uses oil a lot. The whole world uses nearly three billion gallons of oil every day. We all use it to fuel our cars, trucks, buses, and even to heat our homes. If you have touched a chain on a bicycle, you have touched some oil. The black stuff that appears on your fingers is an oil that makes the chains on your bike run smoothly. We all can help stop oil spills happening in the oceans. If you use less oil, then less will have to be transported. We can use less oil by not using our cars when we can walk or ride a bike. That way we are not using oil.

Think about how many lights you have in your house. Also think about all the electronics like computers or televisions. All of these things use electricity. If we all were to turn off lights, computers, or televisions when not in use, we wouldnt be using as mush oil to create the electricity throughout the house. As you see, there are many things being done to prevent oil spills. If everyone around the world decided to use less oil, we would lower the risk of a large spill. If there were a spill, we wouldnt be dumping as much oil into the ocean, which would mean that there would be fewer animals killed or injured.