OIL’S WANDERING PATH

Content is modified after National Ocean Service/An Oily Mess,

Smithsonian Institute/Pollution Solution, PWSSC/Marine Oil Pollution

and PWSSC/Fate of Spilled Oil

What items can you think of that are made from

petroleum products?

How do we use oil?TransportationFuelLubrication Asphalt/pavementPlasticsMedicines InkFertilizers/pesticidesPaints/varnishesElectricityWaxesBeauty products National Ocean Services/An Oily

Mess

Oil’s TravelsOil is extracted from the ground

Oil is pumped to a pipeline

Oil is transported to a refinery

Oil is transported to its final destination

Oil can be spilled at any of these steps!

How Do Oil Spills Happen?Oil spills are caused by accidents, usually

when transporting the oil.People make mistakes or are careless

Equipment breaks down

Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes

Deliberate acts by terrorists, countries at war, vandals, or illegal dumpers

What Causes Man-Made Oil Spills?

Tanker Accidents – 15%Oil Drilling – 6%

http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/news/gallery/2007/dec/10/1/GD5563862http://www.sierraclub.bc.ca/seafood-and-oceans/threats-to-our-oceans-and-coastline/Tanker-Traffic-Oil-Spills/jim_wark_AKoilrig.jpg

Tanker Operations – 5%

Aircraft Fuel – 1%

http://contrailscience.com/wp-content/uploads/e6-below-from-tacamoorg.jpghttp://www.nortest.com.cy/images/TankerPipelines/deep%20pioneer.06.No1%20(1).JPG

Atmospheric Deposition – 8%

Runoff – 21%

http://www.icenews.is/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dirt_is_in_the_air.jpghttp://mythreethings.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/img_0096.jpg

Small Ships and Boats – 41%

Man-Made Causes of Spills

15%6%1%

5%

8%21%

41%

3%

Oil Spill Sources

Tanker Accidents Oil DrillingAircraft Fuel Tanker OperationsAtmospheric Depo-sition

Runoff

Small Ships/Boats Other

PWSSC/OSLE/Marine Oil Pollution

What Happens Once There is an Oil Spill?Oil and waxes stick together

Usually float on water

Very heavy (dense) oil can sink

Ocean Surface SpillsOil stays on top of the water

Oil is affected by winds and currents

Oil spreads out rapidly and forms a thin layer (slick)90% of a spill’s volme is contained in 10% of its

area

Oil keeps spreading and becoming thinner until it becomes a “sheen” or “film”

Deep Water SpillsIf the spill involves a gas explosion, the gas add

buoyancy to the oil

In shallow waters, the oil rises as a single plume and then spreads out once it reaches the surface

In deep waters, the oil rises like a smokestack until it starts to dissolve and “tip over”Bubbles rise at different speedsBubbles get smaller the taller the smokestack

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill?When did the Exxon Valdez oil spill happen?

Where did the Exxon Valdez hit?

How much oil did the Exxon Valdez spill?

Can you name any other oil

spills?

World Oil SpillsKuwaiti Oil Fires

1991170 million tons

Gulf War Oil SpillKuwait, Iraq, Persian Gulf 19915.1 million tons

Deepwater HorizonGulf of Mexico20110.57 million tons

Image from Time.com

Image from guardian.co.uk

How does this compare with the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill?

Exxon Valdez Oil

Spill

Kuwaiti Oil Fire

Image from http://best-diving.org/adrenalin-diving/138-diving-with-blue-whale-song-my-first-adrenalin-diving-experience

What happens to the oil once it spills?Oil immediately starts to undergo weathering

Evaporation

Photo-oxidation

Emulsification “mousse”

Biodegradation

Sedimentation

What habitats are sensitive to oil spills?Oil affects different environments, plants, and animals in

different waysEstuaries

Sandy Beaches

Rocky Shores

Juvenile Species Habitat

Open Ocean

We must also consider how and where we can stage equipment in order to respond to the oil spill