By: Group 9 ; Shameera M., Akshaya D. B., Amy N.,
Fatima R., Prabhjot V., Rajveer P.
What is
an
Oil spill?
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The release of liquid
petroleum hydrocarbon
into environment due
to human activity
Form of pollution
most often oil is
released into the ocean
or coastal waters
(marine spills)
countries have policies
in case of oil spills, in
order to assure a quick clean up
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Contrary to popular belief, not all oil spills are Marine spills.
In fact, the majority of the spills occur right here on the
land, but the severity is far greater in the marine. Regardless
of the type, most spills are caused by:
o Drilling Accidents
o Faulty Pipelines
o Offshore Explosions
o Tanker Collisions
o Sabotage
o Daily Human Activities
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Drilling accidents have caused some of the worst oil
spills throughout history. A drilling accident is any
incident that results in a spill, due to a
malfunctioning drill or improper drilling.
* For Example, the Lxtoc 1 oil spill.
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Who: Petroleus Mexicanos
(PEMEX)
What: 140 million gallons, Ixtoc I oil
well exploded upon deciding to seal
the well as a result of a lack of
stability , the oil drilling
platform then caught fire and
collapsed, rupturing valves and
making it difficult for rescue
personnel to control the damage.
When: June 1979 – March 1980
Where: Gulf of Mexico
Why: a blown out drill in one of the
oil wells
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Faulty Pipeline oil spills refer to accidents that
occur during the transport of oil due to leaking,
broken, or improperly installed pipelines. Such
an incident was the Kolva River Oil Spill.
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Who: Russia
What: pipeline just south of the Arctic Circle had been leaking
since February 1994 but oil was contained, October 1st, the dike
collapsed because of cold and snow, 84 million gallons
Where: near the town of Usinsk in Northern Russia
When: September 1994
Reason: a faulty pipeline that had burst
Clean up time: ~1 year
Clean up crews try and navigate
through the contaminated waters
of the Kolva River
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The largest marine, and one of the most
publicized Oil Spills off all time, was the BP oil
spill. The BP oil spill occurred very recently on
the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf
of Mexico. The BP oil spill is an example of an
offshore explosion accident. In an offshore
explosion, an explosion occurs on the drilling
rig, or with the equipment itself resulting in
damaged pipelines and tankers.
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Deep Water Horizons Oil rig explosion.
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When: April 20 2010
Where: Gulf of Mexico, 1,070
kilometres of Gulf of Mexico
coastline have been
contaminated by the oil.
What: explosion on the
Deepwater Horizon drilling rig,
size: 5 million barrels of oil
(worth about $400 million ) 210
million gallons
Who: BP (Was The British
Petroleum Company now
Beyond Petroleum)
Location: Deepwater Horizon
drilling rig, Gulf of Mexico
Why: an explosion occurring
on the drilling rig
Clean up time: On-going
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A Tanker in the Oil industry refers to a ship
specifically designed for the bulk transport of
oil. Oil spills due to tanker collisions are caused
when a tanker as hit another ship, the loading
dock, or in the worst case scenario; another oil
tanker. An example of an oil tanker collision is
the Exxon Valdez tanker collision.
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Who: Exxon mobil corporation
What: 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. $2.1 billion for the clean
up, 11 million gallons of oil was
spilled
When: March 23, 1989
Where: Prince William Sound
in Alaska
Why: Collision with the Bligh
reef.
Clean up time: 3 years
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Although most oil spills are accidents, some of
the worst spills are actually intentional. These
spills are usually the result of war and
sabotage. Examples of Sabotage include the
Gulf war, and the Kuwait oil fires.
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One of the 700 oil wells that were set on fire.
When: January 1991
Where: Persian gulf (Kuwait, Iran)
What: 380-520 million gallons of
oil, The oil slick reached a
maximum size of 101 miles by 42
miles and was five inches thick.
Who: Iraq and Kuwait
Why: Iraq sabotaged the Kuwait
in order to leave them helpless
and invade.
Clean up time: 2 years
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As hard it may be to believe, daily human
activities are in fact responsible for a majority
of oil spills around the world. These activities
include faulty automobiles, improper oil
disposal, and the excess run of oil from roads
and driveways. These oil spills may be minor
in size, but they effect us directly as they are
draining into our cities and will build up over
time.
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This may sound like an oxymoron at first, however,
oil spills do have advantages. Obviously, they do not
compare to the extent of disadvantages oil spills
have, but they do help in a sense.
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The Gulf of Mexico was a very popular area for fishing.
The fishing technique of trawling (massive nets to catch
fish) was used by the various fishing companies.
causes major damage to the ocean floors and any reefs
in its way
destroys entire underwater habitats
Luckily fishing has been restricted because of the major
oil spill. The massive scale fishing done in this area
affected the population and diversity of the fish. It
eliminated the majority of the population of fish and
the diversification was very minimal.
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Studies from the Fisheries Institute at the University
of British Columbia say that because of the
restriction of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, there
will be a massive increase in the population of fish
and the Gulf will see the great amount of fish it use
to see before.
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To help prevent the Gulf of
Mexico from being depopulated,
the Magnuson-Stevens Act was
passed by the U.S.
The initiative was taken by the
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration).
This act halted overfishing in various coastal regions
in the U.S. including the Gulf of Mexico.
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Over the summer of 2010, President Obama gave a
speech in which he said that he is using oil spills to
“accelerate the transition” towards a “green” economy
and that we should “seize the moment”
He is trying to bring more awareness of the tragedies
caused by the oil spills to convince the big businesses in
the oil industry.
Already, oil drilling plans, of the famous company Shell,
in Alaska are being opposed slowly and steadily.
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When an oil spill happens, more
and more people learn about it,
which is an advantage because
if the upcoming generations are
well educated about oil spills
they will know how to deal with
them.
Also the education already
present has been very
beneficial as there are so many
efficient cleaning techniques
now.
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There are many
methods including:
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Bioremediation
Controlled burning
Dredging
Skimming
Solidifying
Vacuum and Centrifuge
Booms
Watch and Wait
Use of Dispersants
Shoveling
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Many programs and organizations have been created
over the years for research and prevention of oil spills
such as the N.O.A.A. (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration), O.S.R.R. (Oil Spill
Response & Research) Program, T.A. & R. (Technology
Assessment and Research) Program.
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oil spills are a big issue because they affect humans
negatively in many ways
they affect not only our health, but our economy and
our food as well
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oil spills affect the health of the
cleanup crews for the oil spill
because they are exposed to a
large amount of petroleum
workers experience acute
symptoms such as headaches,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, throat
irritation, eye pain, coughing or
choking and dizziness
potential long-term risks include
This is a picture of a worker cleaning up
lung, kidney and liver damage
an oil spill, he is hardly wearing any
protection which is very hazardous to his
health.
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traumatic events such as oil spills can sometimes result in
depression
oil spills cause economic and environmental destruction
which causes depression and can lead to suicide and
domestic violence by the people who have been affected by
the spills the most
for example, less than two months after the damaged BP oil
rig began spewing oil into the gulf, boat captain Allen
"Rookie" Kruse, 55, took his own life inside the quarters of
his boat (gulf of mexico oil spill)
he mayor of Bayou La Batre, a coastal Alabama community,
has reported that domestic violence calls in the area have
tripled since the oil spill began
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Power stations, desalinization plants and other industrial facilities that
draw in seawater are all affected by oil spills because they are at risk if
the water intakes are close to the surface.
These affected operations can limit the supply of their products such as
electricity, water, etc which in turn affect the economy
This is a picture of an oil spill near a power plant in Lebanon.
- Many industries are depending
on clean water, e.g., for cooling
purposes in nuclear, other
power plants and desalination
plants. The facilities can be
negatively affected if the risk
getting oil into their water
intakes. The result may be
contamination of piping systems
which in turn may require that
the plant is shut down while
cleaning is carried out.
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Many hotels are
resorts are built right
next to oceans and
large bodies of water
A resort worker attempts to catch an oil coated
in case of an oil spill,
pelican after an oil spill.
the shorelines will be seriously contaminated
this in turn will restrict bathing and boating in
coastal resorts, which will impact the business of
the hotels and restaurants, tour operations and
others who rely on the economic benefits of the
tourists in the area of the spill
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an oil spill can have a number of effects on fisheries
fishing and shellfish areas may
be closed for fishing for shorter
or longer periods because of the risks of
the catch being tainted by oil
fish and crab may contain
concentrations of petroleum and
shellfish will be contaminated
this means there will be a drastic
decrease of consumer consumption
of fish and shellfish resulting in huge
This is a picture of fish that died
losses for the fisheries
due to an oil spill.
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ships wont be able to pass through the area of the oil
spill
transportation companies will have to come up with
alternate routes
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the owners of the oil become angry at the spill
because their oil goes to waste and they lose a lot
of money
they must pay for the
clean up of the spill
they get bad publicity
because of the media and
the press
people might have a
The oil slick as seen from space by NASA's
bad impression of the
Terrasatellite on May 24, 2010.
area of thespill (fearing for their health) if
the oil spill makes international news
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the people who live near the area of the spill become angry
because their beaches are polluted with oil
they become angry because their marine creatures as well
as sea birds are dead and dying
they become angry because they lose many economic
opportunities
they become angry because the oil company does not
completely pay for the clean up of the spill and the beaches
are still not thoroughly cleaned
fear of another oil spill
Alice Feagan’s picture depicts the oil spill that occurred in
Gulf of Mexico, Oil Island 2010
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Oil spills severely affect species that use the surface of the
water and species that live near the shores the most.
Despite size, the damage of oil spills are always catastrophic.
Since oil floats on top of the water, it becomes very likely to come
into contact with many life forms near the water.
Each oil spills are different, the magnitude of the effect depends
on a few factors: what kind of oil is spilt, where the oil spilt, the
type of wildlife that are in the area, time of year (breeding cycle
and seasonal migration), and the weather during the spill.
Oil is highly damaging to the wildlife because not only does it
coats the animals’ body in a thick oil layer, as time passes, the oil
becomes stickier and harder to get off
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Fish become infected through in taking the oil
directly through their gills or consuming smaller
oiled prey.
The oil has a potent effect on the future generation
Caught in an oil
of the fish due to the fact that eggs of many fish
spill, many fish
species are really sensitive to oil pollution
wind up dead
as well as oil causes reproductive impairment.
Adult fish that come into contact with the oil are at
risk of decreasing in size, enlargement of the livers,
change in heart/respiration rates, erosion of the fins.
Occasionally in open water, fish are able to avoid the oil spill by
either going into deeper water, or swimming further away.
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Wildlife that dwells close to shore, are more at risk of being
contaminated when the oil washes up ashore
Breathing in droplets of oil/oil fumes or gas that is emitted
could damage airways and cause congestions. Oils can also
cause damage to the animals’ eye which result in
conjunctivitis, ulcers, and ultimately blindness. These
complications make finding food, and avoiding predators
more difficult.
Exposure to the oil causes skin, nasal cavity or mouth
irritation and ulceration. Damage or decrease to the
immune system, and red blood cells of the marine mammals
could also occur. This would sometimes leads to bacterial or
fungal infections.
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Oil consumption causes organ damage and
failure, while oil vapours have the ability to
damage the central nervous system as well
A Baleen whale
as the lungs and liver.
surfacing to feed
Consuming oil can also diminish the animal’s ability to ingest or
digest its food by harming cells inside the intestinal tract.
Can interfere with the baleen whale's eating habits specifically.
The oil floats on the surface of the water, since the baleen whale
eats by skimming the water surface and filtering out the water
the contaminated water enters the whale.
• Oil poisoning occurs when young, such as dolphin
calf, feed from the mother’s milk.
A young dolphin calf
swims with the mother
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Oil that come into contact with fur destroys the natural insulation
property of the fur. This then leads to hypothermia in the
mammals.
Marine mammals easily become prey due to the oil sticking to
their bodies and thus hard to escape from predators. Inability to
swim properly is also the cause of drowning.
Weight lose occurs when they can not feed properly because of
the contaminated environment .The smell of the usual prey is
overpowered and disguised by the odour and
taste of oil.
Scent of seal pups are masked under the oil
and mothers reject and abandon their young.
Unable to look after themselves, they starve.
Unfortunately wildlife, seals and dolphins for
example, were recorded to continue living
fairly close to the oil spills.
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The oil reduces and destroys the natural
properties of feathers to insulate and
A sea gull paralyzed in oil on the beach of East
Grand Terre Island in Barataria Bay, La.
waterproof. This causes birds to
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times / June 4, 2010)
becoming prone to catching hypothermia.
 They lose body weight as their body tries to fight the low body
temperature
Birds become an easier source of food for others because their
feathers are matted by oil, limiting them to the ground and
unable to fly away.
Oil consumed damages the bird’s ability to maintain blood
pressure levels, and concentration of fluid in its body.
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As the birds surrender to the oiled conditions, they stop diving,
swimming and become dehydrated, and starve.
The slickened feathers weigh more because of the oil, thus they
cannot catch enough air between the feathers to stay buoyant
and the birds drown.
In attempt to rid themselves of the oil, birds ingest the substance.
Through eating the oil, the birds damage their insides, causing
ulcers or bleeding inside their stomachs.
The oil causes interference with the
breeding behaviour of birds for instance,
reducing the number of eggs a bird lays.
It also decrease in the thickness of egg
shells and can suffocate eggs by closing
off pores in the eggs and stopping gas A bird trying to rid itself of the oil
exchange.
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Unfortunately marine life and birds tend to not stay away from
the spill.
• Oil that is floating on top of the water can infect plankton
(algae), roe, and the larvae of various invertebrates.
Other fish are drawn in by the oil for the fact that it appears to be
motionless floating food.
This puts sea birds at risk for coming into contact with the oil.
Fascinated by the large schools of fish that swarmed the spill,
birds dive right into the oil slicks.
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Wildlife that are cover in oil earlier to the spill occurring might be
affected differently than those that are exposed later on. An
example of this is that oil is more toxic when it is more recently
spilled. Thus animals that encounter it earlier on will consume
more toxic poison.
Weather conditions can also play a role. Depending on the
weather condition of the spill, it will either increase of decrease
the possibility for the oil to cause more damage to the
surrounding environment. High winds and warm water causes
lighter oils to become gases. This reduces the oil quantity that
remains in the water to affect marine dwellers.
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Due to the fact that oil spills affect all wildlife in the immediate
area, larger animals that might not necessary come into contact
with the oil, will be infected through the food chain. As larger
wildlife, this includes bigger fish, mammals, birds, and sometimes
even humans, consume a greater quantity of smaller organisms,
they ingest a larger amount of oil dosage.
Studies on oil ingestion shows to suppress the immune system,
damage organ , irritate skin cause ulceration, adrenal system
becomes damaged.
Immune systems being damaged is a cause for secondary
infections which leads to death as well as behavioural changes.
These then could also be the interfere with the creature’s ability
to locate food and stay away from predators.
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Oil can also damage reproduction cycle of animals by causing the
animals be become too sick to breed.
Oil in the environment can erupt a in the environment and the
ecosystem that was necessary to support a specific wildlife
Environments such as coral reefs, estuaries, and seagrass habitats
which are used as breeding grounds for many type of fish
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On November 7, 2007 in San Francisco Bay, 54 000 gallons of
heavy oil was leaked during a crash between a cargo ship and the
Bay Bridge
As a result 1 068 birds categorized into 30 species, including other
wildlife, in the area were collected
Usually on an average, half of the birds who were rescued from oil
spills that occurred across the decades were profiled to surviving
for a year after the disasters struck.
In the case of San Francisco Bay, less than 40 percent of the birds
survived.
Oceans:
 It is estimated that
approximately 706 million
gallons of waste oil enter the
ocean every year
 When oil spill reaches the
shoreline, it interacts with
sediments, rocks, vegetation,
and terrestrial habitats of both
wildlife and humans, causing
erosion as well
as contamination
 Oil spills are very harmful to
deep ocean life and coastal
fishing and fisheries.
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The immediate effects include mass mortality and
contamination of fish and other food species
long-term ecological effects may be worse. Oil
waste poisons the sensitive marine and coastal
organic substrate, interrupting the food chain on
which fish and sea creatures depend on.
Commercial fishing enterprises may be affected
permanently.
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There's really no aspect of a marine and coastal
environment that is not in some way adversely
affected by an oil spill. The closer the spill occurs to
the shoreline, the more pronounced the damage
will be due to coastal zones being home to more
concentrated and diverse populations of marine,
bird and animal life than far out to sea.
Oceans and marine life gets affected by oil spills the
most
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According to the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, contamination with oil
can reduce the amount of oxygen present in soil. A
reduced level of oxygen has the potential to inhibit
native plant growth.
Oil contamination can reduce the fertility of soil.
When oil is spilled on land used for agriculture, it
can result in reduced crop yields and poorer
harvests.
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According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, oil spills can pollute the groundwater in soil,
posing a risk to human beings who use or consume it.
In some types of soil, especially sand and gravel, the
effects of an oil spill can linger for years. For example,
areas of beach in Alaska's Prince William Sound have
not fully recovered from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, even
though it occurred more than 20 years ago.
Oil spills do not necessarily render soil completely
unusable. Oil-contaminated soil can be used in the
production of asphalt, cement and brick.
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The very thick nature of the bush makes it suitable
for hunting of wild animals. However, the affected
vegetation and the depleted environment make
things worse for any wild life to survive in the area.
Hunters in the affected areas complained that their
occupation has been negatively affected by the oil
spills. Therefore, both people and the soil get
affected.
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The basic activity of the people is farming.
Therefore the spill and its consequential effects will
linger for a long time especially with the thorns and
thistles all over the vegetation symbolic of the
unproductive nature of the soil. It is obviously
possible that it would take as long as 15 years or
more for this impacted area to regain its soil
fertility, as a result of the spill.
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Once oil has effected the environment, no matter
how well it is cleaned up, it has already taken effect
and the environment will take many years to return
to its original state if it ever does.
Prevention of an oil spill is key.
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Oil spills happen all over the world and have
an affect on all of us every time they happen.
Whether they are in Mexico or Somalia, they
affect us and the land we live on. So what can
WE do about all this?
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Prevention is better than cure, and reducing oil usage is
one way of reducing pollution.
Harnessing other natural resourcse including solar
energy from the sun is a key way to reduce the use of
oil
Reduce human error, many oil spills are caused by
accidents that can be prevented
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By ensuring that Properly Trained Personnel are on
guard, the Coast Guards are reinforced, placing Stricter
rules and regulations for Oil Tankers, being equipped
with the latest Navigational Equipment and better
Maintenance of the Oil rigs and Tankers
Awareness; the more we make ourselves aware of a
causes, the more we fight for the cause. OUR word
matters, so lets stand up and make a difference.
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