Oil Spills: The Underwater Crisis

With a BP oil spill and Exxon Valdez oil spill comparison

By: Steve Kaste

Oil spills can damage the marine food chain and the local fishing business.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf was the largest oil spill in the U.S.

Oil floats in water. Oil can sink in freshwater, but that only happens rarely.

Oil spills effect sea birds/birds in the nearby area of the oil spill.

The 2010 BP oil spill was 17x larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Oil Spill Facts

People making mistakes or being careless. Equipment breaking down. Natural disasters such as hurricanes. Deliberate acts by terrorists. Countries at war. Vandals. Illegal dumpers.

These are all causes of oil spills.

Oil Spill Causes

In an oil spill after the oil has been spilled the oil float on top of the water (in rare cases it will sink in fresh water)

Then, the oil spreads rapidly across the water to form a thin layer of oil called an oil slick. As it spreads the layer gets thinner and thinner and then, this very thin layer is known as a sheen. The sheen looks like a rainbow.

What Happens In An Oil Spill

Oil sheen.

Booms: inflatable barriers to oil (use to prevent oil from spreading).

Skimmers: boat that skim spilled oil from the water surface

Sorbents: big sponges used to absorb oil. Chemical Dispersants/Biological Agents: these are

used to break down the oil into its chemical constituents.

High-pressure/low-pressure hoses to wash off beaches In-situ burning, a method of burning freshly spilled oil,

usually while it’s floating.

Oil Spill Cleaning Tools

Oil

Vacuum trucks: a tool that can vacuum spilled oil on the beach or the water’s surface.

Shovels/Road Equipment: these are sometimes used to pick up oil off of beaches or move oiled beach sand or gravel down to where it can be cleaned up by being tumbled around in the waves.

Oil Spill Cleaning Tools

After an oil spill occurs, you and some other local volunteers can go down to the oil spill location, use some of the tools listed in slides 5-6, and help clean up the oil spill.

Help make the world a cleaner, safer, and healthier place to live.

Help Clean Up Oil Spills

Marine Biology Food Chain + Oil Spill EffectLocal

fishing business

Oil spills have a major effect on birds. When oil sprays a bird, its wings are disabled. Also, oil covered fish are poisoned, so when birds eat these poisoned fish, the birds die.

Oil Spills Effect Birds

I want you to help prevent oil spills.

Help prevent oil spills. Uncle Sam wants you to. So, if Uncle Sam wants you to, you should probably do it.

Help prevent oil spills.

Minimize the likelihood that faculty oil spills which do occur.

Minimize the size and impacts of these faculty oil spills which do occur.

Facilitate coordination of local, state regional, tribal, and other prevention and contingency plans.

Ways to Prevent Oil Spills

Oil Spill ComparisonBP to Exxon Valdez

BP oil spill

The BP oil spill was caused by an oil well explosion.

The key wildlife affected in this oil spill were the Brown Pelican, the reddish egret, the royal turn, the snowy plover, the sperm whale, the Bluefin tuna, and the sea turtle.

Exxon Valdez oil spill

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was caused by the tanker striking a reef.

The key wildlife affected in this oil spill were Salmon, sea otters, seals, and sea birds.

BP oil spill Exxon Valdez oil spill

172 million gallons of oil spilled

10 million gallons of oil spilled

5000 feet deep underwater Mostly on the surface

Caused by an oil ell explosion Caused by the tanker striking a reef

Affected 7 species of key wildlife

Affected 4 species of key wildlife

Oil Spill Comparison: The Summary

http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/var/sciencelearn/storage/images/contexts/toxins/sci-media/images/marine-food-web/731635-1-eng-NZ/Marine-food-web.jpg

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/173180D.html

http://environment.about.com/od/petroleum/a/oil_spills_and_environment.htm

http://environment.about.com/od/petroleum/a/oil_spills_and_environment.htm

 

Bibliography

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.html