A Washington Post NIE graphic presentation based on The Washington Post coverage of Gulf Oil Spill
ERIC GAY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Our
Beleaguered
Waters
The Washington Post | Newspapers in Education | June 2010
Why drill here?
NOAA
Oil-rich
states
surround
the Gulf
of Mexico.
Why is oil found in the Gulf of
Mexico?
The Gulf is a sedimentary
basin formed during
Jurassic and Cretaceous
periods of rising and
lowering sea level which
buried organic material and
formed natural gas.
USGS
Oil Fuels More Than Cars
JAHI CHIKWENDIUTHE/WASHINGTON POST
Oil prices fuel economic growth and opportunity
• Increase in drilling
• Expansion of refineries
• Additional building
permits
• Hiring of skilled and
specialized labor
• Growth in housing and
hospitality industries
What are sources
of oil pollution?
• Natural –
cold seeps
• Ballast water
• Waste oil
pumping
• In-port oil loss
• Tanker accidents
• Exploration loss
• Motor oil
Oil rigs are numerous in the Gulf of Mexico.
JAE C. HONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oil Spilled into the Gulf …
NOAA/NATIONAL BUOY DATA CENTER
… Occurred During Exploration
• Blowout of wells
• Accidental damage to offshore drilling rigs
• Cracks, punctures and erosion to transport pipelines
CAROL GUZY/THE WASHINGTON POST
How does oil affect wildlife?
Depends on
• Type of oil
• Location of the spill
• Depth/distance
from shore
• Weather at sea
• Local wildlife
• Breeding cycles
• Seasonal migrations
Oil May Cause
• Damage to estuaries,
wetlands, coral and
oyster reefs, algae,
plankton, seagrass,
and mangrove
habitats
• Destruction of
breeding and feeding
grounds for many
fish, mammals, birds
and invertebrates such
as oysters and crabs
MARY HOLLINGER/NOAA
Why are these habitats important?
Oyster reefs, wetlands, and mangroves…
• Buffer shorelines from storm surge
• Prevent erosion of wetlands
• Provide feeding grounds for birds at low tide
• Filter water, removing excess nutrients, sediment, and algae
• Provide shelter and food for invertebrates and fish
• Attract commercial and recreational fishing
How does
the oil spill
affect
the
food
web?
ARIEL DEUTCH/Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Zooplankton or Oil Droplet?
• Drifting plankton form a substrate for dispersed oil
droplets to cling to, tainting food used at higher
levels of the food chain.
• Oil droplets may be confused by consumers as fish
eggs
PHOTOS MATT WILSON, JAY CLARK/NOAA
What eats
zooplankton?
Plankton Soup
MATT WILSON, JAY CLARK/NOAA
Zooplankton are primary consumers in the food web.
Oyster Reefs Provide a Habitat …
How many
organisms can
you
find on this
clump of
oysters?
… Rich in
Biodiversity
Both sessile
organisms
as
well as freeswimming ones
find refuge in the
reef
DR. JAMES P. MCVEY/NOAA
How does your oyster grow?
• Release spat (juvenile
oysters) May-August
• Attach one generation
atop another
• Form mountains of
oysters
PHOTOS NOAA
How will the oil spill affect
the production of gametes,
settlement of juveniles,
and growth of the next
generation?
Invertebrates Such as Blue Crabs …
• Females undergo a single
mating, storing sperm to
periodically fertilize eggs
from April to October
• Food tainted with oil would
affect egg and sperm viability
since both contain high levels
of lipids (fats)
• Less feeding means less
growth
• Oil dispersants target lipids
(also found in eggs)
How would dispersants
affect the next
generation of crabs?
PHOTOS NOAA
… and Shrimp
• Spawn off shore
in
the summer-fall
seasons
• Feed on zooplankton
—dispersed oil affects
shrimps’ food source
• Toxins in food source
affects health and
reproduction
PHOTOS NOAA
At the Top of the Food Chain
Biomagnification is
the accumulation
of toxins in the
tissues of top
consumers such
as the tuna
or dolphin.
NOAA
What is the effect of oil
on marine birds?
• Illness may prevent
breeding
• Number of eggs laid or
thickness of egg is
reduced
WILLIAM B. FOLSOM/NMFS, NOAA
Other Effects on Birds
• Insulation and
water-proofing of
feathers destroyed
• Unable to fly or dive
• Hypothermia
• Dehydration
• Starvation
• Ulcers (if oil is ingested)
• Damage to adrenal
systems affecting blood
pressure and fluid
• Stress
GERALD HERBERT/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marine Mammals, Reptiles and Birds
May experience respiratory problems from breathing fumes from
oil or droplets of dispersed oil, causing damage to the airways and
lungs – congestion, pneumonia, emphysema and even death
NOAA
Sperm whale surfaces off the coast of Mississippi
Whales
• Biomagnification
accumulates toxins in
fatty tissue of a mother
• Fatty tissue is converted
into milk
• Young calves absorb oil
through a mother’s milk
• Oil causes ulceration of
skin, mouth and airways
Filter-feeding Whales
• Tar-like oil clogs the
baleen as whales skim
the surface of the
water, interfering with
feeding
• Suppression of the
immune system may
cause secondary
bacterial or fungal
infections
• Damage to red blood
cells impact oxygen
transport and
metabolism
NOAA
Humpback whales breaching out of the Gulf
Additional Health Impact
• Liver damage
• Stress
What are the
functions
of the liver?
Why would the
liver be a likely
organ to fail?
NOAA
In Marine Reptiles
Such as Turtles, Oil Can
• Damage eyes, causing
ulcers, conjunctivitis and
blindness, making it
difficult for them to find
food, sometimes causing
starvation
• Irritate or cause ulceration
of skin, mouth and nasal
cavities
G. McFALL/OAR
Contamination of Beaches
BONNIE STRAWSER,/USFWS
Causes contamination of eggs, adult turtles
newly hatched turtles
TIM REID/NOAA
and
What are the countermeasures for
oil spills?
• Skimmers
• Booms
• Chemical
dispersants
• Burning
• Relief wells
COURTESY BP
What might be the effect of oil spill
countermeasures on marine life?
NOAA
Dolphins
swim
alongside
a boom.
CARDIZ/USAF
Oil dispersing
chemicals
are dropped from
an aircraft.
What is the reach
of the oil spill?
Current research
includes
• Scientists are comparing the amount of
toxins found in shellfish collected from
the Gulf Coast area in the 1930's to
samples being collected from areas
affected
by the recent oil spill.
• Toxins found in May will be compared
to August collections.
• The quantity of oil absorbed and
whether the source was from water or
food can be determined.
PHOTOS NOAA
NOAA
Regeneration