M-09: WHOOPS-WHO SPILLED?
MATERIALS LIST
5 Aluminum storage pans or pie tins
Water and Jug
Coffee grounds
Eyedroppers
String
Nylon pieces
Popsicle sticks
Cotton balls
Detergent
Pencils
Feathers
Sand, rocks
Paper towels
Tablespoon
Worksheets
Toothpicks
Sponge
Small broom and pan
7 Strainers
Natl Geographic "Freshwater Guardians"
Valdez Spill
Bay Map
Popsicle Sticks = Booms (for containment of spill)
Detergent = Dispersants (for dispersal of oil)
Cotton balls = Absorbers (to absorb, clean rocks and shoreline)
Sand = Coagulants (to sink oil)
Eye droppers = Suction hoses (“slick licker” to vacuum up floating oil)
String = Skimmer (To collect floating particles of oil)
Nylon = Filter (To filter several layers of water as the oil begins to sink)
WHOOPS – WHO SPILLED?
M – 09
page 1
WHOOPS – WHO SPILLED?
SOURCE:
Bobbie Callison, Dana Wright
M – 09
Updated
12/01
OBJECTIVES:
To discuss the effects of an oil spill on the environment.
To develop a sense of the magnitude of the problem and ways to clean up a spill.
GRADE LEVELS:
4-8
SCIENCE THEMES: Systems and interactions, patterns of change
PROCESS SKILLS:
Observing, relating, inferring, comparing
FOCUS WORDS:
Non-point and point source pollution, pollutant, surface area, volume, anaerobic, aerobic,
degradable, parts per million
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
There are two main types of pollution, non-point source and point source. When the point of origin
of the pollutant is known, such as oil, industrial or sewage plant effluent, mining or electrical plant
discharge, it is called point source pollution. When the point of origin of the pollutant is unknown, it
is called non-point source pollution. This is the type of pollution that comes from runoff of
fertilizers, manure and erosion during storms, or from a random variety of materials people pour
down household and storm drains.
In 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran a ground and dumped about 11 million gallons of oil over
the Prince William Sound in Alaska. The adverse weather at the time caused the oil to spread
rapidly. Before the spill was cleaned up, 700 miles of coastline had been affected and a pristine
breeding ground terribly affected.
Oil cuts off oxygen to many organisms. It removes the protective air layer between the feathers and
the skin of water birds, which results in their death from exposure to cold. Or, in preening their oiled
feathers, birds will ingest the oil which is toxic to their systems. Some techniques used in cleaning
up the Valdez spill included blotting the oil with absorbers, use of suction hoses, nylon filters and
coagulants. Other methods used were high-pressure hoses to wash excess oil off rocks and beaches;
booms to limit the oil spread, skimmers to draw the oil out of the water and chemical dispersants,
similar to detergents, to break up the oil particles. Newer technology is focusing on ways to stimulate
oil-eating bacteria to digest excess oil.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
(Continued)
There are two broad categories of oil. One category is crude oil, which is the raw substance that is
extracted from the ground. Then there is refined oil, which is oil that has been processed. An oil spill
is usually a variation of one of these two types. The type of oil spilled, crude, refined or a one of their
different grades and variations, will determine the type of damage caused to marine life.
Refined oils are more toxic to marine life than crude oil because they contain more concentrated
toxins. As little as 0.l ppm of refined oil is lethal to marine life. During the refining process, many of
the less toxic substances have been burned or chemically removed. The lighter forms, such as
gasoline, will float on the surface. They will spread widely in a thin layer, and being aromatic,
evaporate quickly. But refined oil also goes into solution, poisoning the water to all depths.
Crude oil affects marine life on the ocean floor as this oil is heavier than refined, and some particles
of it will sink. Unlike refined oil, with crude oil it takes 10,000 ppm to affect benthic dwellers. Crude
oil floats for a time tending to glob together into tar balls. These tar balls either evaporate or dissolve
their lighter constituents, and then they finally sink to the bottom. Oil needs an aerobic (requires
oxygen) environment in order to degrade. If it settles into an anaerobic sediment, degradation does
not occur and bottom dwellers can feed on the oil for months.
Weather, primarily wind action, plays a role in determining how rapidly oil sinks or spreads.
Increased currents and wave action can spread oil faster. But, on rocky beaches with a lot of wave
action, little oil remains after one year. On quieter beaches, the oil remains for years to eventually
mix with sand. Weather and time of year have more significance to marine life than the amount of oil
spilled. A small spill distributed over a large area by a moderate storm during the time of year when
a particular animal is mating, nesting or nursing its young can do more damage than a huge spill in
calm weather at another time of the year.
Hydrocarbons in oil are capable of causing long-term damage to plant and animal life, such as thinshelled eggs, reduced reproduction, damaged digestive tracts, loss of insulation and increased cancer
rates. It is important to remove oil quickly to prevent it from sinking to the ocean bottom or
becoming permanently embedded in sand on beaches. Crude oil is heavy with tars. This oil is a
sticky substance, and clings to anything, large or tiny, that it comes into contact with. It sticks to
rocks, logs, feathers, fur, snails, clams, plankton, seaweed, and most anything else. Swimming fish
are not as much damaged by this type of oil because it cannot stick to the mucus that covers their
body and makes them slippery to handle and slippery so they can swim faster.
Crude oil (petroleum), which is pumped from oil wells, either on shore or from under the sea, is
refined into many different forms. It is made into gasoline, lubricating oil, diesel fuel, bunker oil,
etc., or not refined at all. All of these products of petroleum are used at sea, and are transported by
sea, and each can be spilled. Not only do spills contaminate the sea, but they will also contaminate
the atmosphere. Only 60% to 80% of the crude oil is degradable (degradability -- the ability of the
substance to be broken down into it basic constituents). This means that 20 to 40% of the crude oil
spilled will remain virtually forever. Even after spilled oil has been collected, disposal is a problem.
Oil spills are often cleaned up with the use of dispersants. Dispersants consist of detergents and other
chemicals. The chemicals used are often more toxic to marine life than the spilled oil itself. Burning
pollutes the air and burying contaminates the local water aquifer. Some reclaimed oil can be
reprocessed into a usable product. On another good note, scientists have developed oil-eating
bacteria that can be an essential part of oil clean up.
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The effects of oil on sea birds:
1) Oil covered birds lose insulating qualities and floatability (feathers are fouled).
2) Oil covered birds are heavier and can't fly as well or at all. They often die of exhaustion just
trying to locate food.
3) Birds that normally nest far from predators are more likely to frequent areas closer to food
sources making them more susceptible to predation.
4) Birds ingest oil when cleaning their feathers, which causes a variety of problems including severe
gastrointestinal problems, poisoning, clogging of esophagus, or cancerous growths.
5) Birds captured and cleaned usually die of exhaustion before they can regain stability. Loss of
feather wax (stripped away by the same detergents used to clean the birds) leaves the birds
uninsulated and they become prone to hypothermia and pneumonia.
6) Ingestion of oil is linked to reduced eggshell strength.
7) A 2-3 cm spot of oil on the breast of a sea bird is enough to cause its death.
The effects of oil on mammals:
1) Oil clogs baleen plates on whales and makes it hard for whales to gather food properly. (Baleen
plates are hair-like teeth. The whales open their mouths and strain shrimp-like krill through their
baleen plates. The whale then licks, with its tongue, the krill from the inside of the plates.)
2) Oil clogs blowholes on whales and dolphins.
3) Oil fouls the fur on seals and otters reducing the insulating quality of the fur.
4) Increased cancerous growths due to direct ingestion of oil-fouled waters, ingestion of other
animals poisoned by oil, or by direct contact with oil on skin.
5) The behavior of animals is affected – including mating, migration routes, etc.
The effects of oil on mollusks:
1) These filter feeders become clogged with the oil they filter.
2) Toxins ingested while filter feeding are concentrated within the animals. Others then eat the
mollusks.
3) Larvae die due to toxicity of water.
4) Oil interferes with the mollusk's ability to attach and anchor itself.
The effects of oil on fish:
1) Fish fare better than other animals in an oil spill because they are capable of swimming outside
of areas of major contamination.
2) Ingested oil absorbed through skin, mouth and gills may cause cancerous growths, liver
destruction and decreased survivability of eggs and fry.
3) Fish produce a slimy substance on their skins that can protect them from a mild spill.
The effects of oil on benthic dwellers:
1) Bottom dwellers and feeders may be totally saturated in oil and suffocate.
2) Some animals may actually thrive in oil such as marine worms.
3) Food sources for benthic dwellers may be increased or decreased drastically, dramatically
affecting the benthic ecosystem.
4) The area of contamination may continue to spread for years. In just one year alone the area could
grow over ten times.
The effect of oil on other marine life:
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1) Grasses and algae that are fouled in turn displace trillions of phytoplankton and zooplankton that
live on or around these plants. The plankton forms the basis for the entire food chain.
2) Animals such as anemones and corals are affected. Many corals need direct sunlight for proper
growth and are severely affected by oil fouling (which reduces availability of sunlight).
Review of Some Interesting Facts –
1) Oil will become distributed through all layers of water column.
2) Large oil spills receive all the news but they are not the only source of spilled oil. In Chesapeake
Bay alone, in 1980, there were over 800 oil spills.
3) Weather and time of year has more significance to marine life than the amount of oil spilled.
A small spill distributed over a large area by a moderate storm during the time of year when a
particular animal is mating, nesting or nursing its young can do more damage than a huge spill in
calm weather at another time of the year.
4) Oil needs aerobic environment in order to degrade. If it settles into anaerobic sediments,
degradation does not occur and bottom dwellers can feed on the oil for months.
5) As little as .1 ppm of refined oil may be lethal to marine life.
6) As little as 10,000 ppm of crude oil may be lethal to marine life. These heavy hydrocarbons
adhere to particulate matter in the water and form tar balls, cover beaches, and etc.
7) Dispersants (detergents and other chemicals) are often more toxic than the oil itself.
8) Disposal of collected tar and oil produces numerous problems. Refuse can be reprocessed,
burned or buried.
The following kit activities illustrate possible environmental effects caused by the world's dependence
on oil as an energy source. Since oil use in the classroom can be messy, and disposal is difficult, coffee
grounds are used to represent oil.
For all age levels:
1) Briefly discuss environmental effects of oil spills, using background information and “Tools of
the trade.” Alternatively, ask children leading questions - i.e. "Who would be affected by an oil
spill?" "Where does the oil go?" “How does the weather, temperature or shoreline affect the
spill?" and "If oil reached sandy beaches, what do you think would happen?"
2) Now ask the question, "If you were in charge, how would you clean up the oil?"
Activity:
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1) Have the students work in teams of 2 or 3. Have “Tools of the trade”, previously described
during modeling, already set out at each workstation. Hand each team a worksheet that lists each
of the tools and asks for a rating and discusses possible disposal problems. (In kit)
2) For each team of children pass out a pie tin. Explain that this represents their ocean. Fill each pie
tin approximately 1/3 of the way with water.
3) Hand each team a rock, and tell them it represents land or an island. Have them place it in the tin
of water. Next give them a feather and tell them it represents animals and birds in the area. Have
them place the feather in the water as well.
4) Explain to the students that we will use coffee grounds to represent an oil spill. The teacher will
measure and drop one tablespoon of coffee grounds (oil spill) into each “ocean.” Say: “Each
team will attempt to get their ocean the cleanest in a limited amount of time, with the tools they
have available. ”Ask the students not to begin to clean their spill until you say, “go.” Say: “One
of the team members must also record which tools worked best.”
5) Instruct the students to place used tools on the paper towel in front of them.
Afterwards:
Discuss which tool worked best, why in a real-life situation oil spill clean-up is so difficult and what the
best solution is for stopping oil spills.
Once the oil is picked up by any of the above methods, disposal problems need to be considered. What
happens to these products? - Burned? Landfill disposals? dump in the ocean? If they are burned,
chemicals will be given off from the hydrocarbons (dioxins that are thought to be highly toxic in small
amounts). Will plastics degrade if placed in landfills? What will happen to the oil-eating bacteria when
they run out of oil? Many of these questions have no good answers as yet. Children may be able to come
up with other questions or possibly other solutions.
For older students:
Discuss this part with the teacher ahead of time to determine if students have necessary math skills.
1) Paired student will compute the surface area of their shallow pan by multiplying length times
width.
2) Using a simple ratio comparison of pan surface area and the surface area of the San Francisco
Bay, the volume of oil to completely cover the bay can be determined. The formula is as follows:
a. Volume of oil to cover pan
=
Volume of oil to cover the Bay
b. Surface area of the pan
Surface area of the Bay
3) The Bay is approximately 470 miles squared, which is 1.22 X 10 9 M 2
4) So the formula becomes:
a. Milliliters of paprika colored oil
=
Volume of oil to cover Bay’s surface
(liters)
b. Surface area of pan
1.22 X 10 9 M 2
c. (Length X Width in cm)
5) You will need to help them convert the milliliters to liters and then, if you wish, to gallons. One
gallon is equal to 3.8 liters, or 3,800 ml.
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ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS FOR OIL SPILL CLEAN UP
1) Which of these tools worked best?
2) Do you think the order in which you used them might have affected how useful they were?
3) If you didn’t use the Popsicle booms first, what things might have affected the size or spread
of your spill?
4) Even using the best tools, did anyone get their whole ocean clean?
5) Was anyone able to clean up their bird or animal? What happens to the animals with oil on
them?
6) Was anyone’s land clean?
7) What do you think happens to oil after a period of time? What eventually happened to your
coffee grounds? Which animals live under the water? How might sinking oil affect
underwater animals? Can any of these animals survive?
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