1. Ocean in the News: Oil Spills By Kelly Peak MEA 200H October 10, 2005

2. “44 Oil Spills found in southeast Louisiana” • Article from MSNBC.com; Sept. 19th 2005 • Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina and a few days before Hurricane Rita • Only now are the Coast Guard and other agencies able to tackle environmental problems since the search and rescue effort is winding down • Spills range from several hundred gallons to the largest of nearly 4 million gallons

3. Extent of Spills and Recovery • More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled from industrial plants, storage depots and other facilities • 2/3 as much oil as spilled from the Exxon Valdez tanker in 1989 • nearly 2 million gallons have been recovered and another 2.3 million gallons contained • None of the leaks sent oil directly into the Mississippi River (protected by levees)

4. Concerns and Significant Cases • But numbers are only estimates • And it’s too early to tell how effective the cleanup will be • Two significant cases: one in Meraux and another in Venice • Meraux Spill (just outside New Orleans on the Mississippi River): oil mixed with floodwaters and sediment to submerge hundreds of homes • Already two class action lawsuits filed against the company responsible– Murphy Oil

5. Katrina-caused slick in Breton Sound, La. Satellite Image of Katrina Oil Spills

6. Classification of Spills • Largest known spills are along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans • Major Spills: over 100,000 gallons = 5 locations • Medium Spills: 10,000 to 100,000 gallons = 4 locations • Offshore Oil • No reports of offshore spills in Gulf of Mexico • Though leaks could spring when the thousands of oil platforms and hundreds of miles of pipeline are restarted • And this is all before Hurricane Rita….

7. Report by the American Petroleum Institute

8. API’s Impacts on Oil & Gas Operations from Katrina and Rita * The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) which services tankers delivering oil imports

9. Hurricane Impacts on Gulf of Mexico Production

10. Facts about Oil Spills… • How much oil enters the ocean? • Estimated at 0.25% of world oil production or about 6 million tons per year • How much oil enters the oceans with oil spills? • Spills account for only 5% of oil entering oceans • During the last decade, more than one billion gallons of oil spilled worldwide

11. Are tanker accidents the major source of marine oil pollution? • No, only about 10-15% of oil into oceans • Breakdown of sources: • Natural Seeps in seabed fissures and eroding sedimentary rocks- 46% • Discharges from consumption of oils (ships and land-based sources including storage facilities, refineries, terminals and filing stations)- 37% • Accidental spills from ships- 12% • Offshore Extraction of oil (platforms, pipelines, etc.)- 3%

12. What happens to oil spills in sea water?

13. Clean up Methods… • Booms: floating barriers to oil • Skimmers: boats that skim spilled oil from the water surface • Sorbents: big sponges used to absorb oil • Chemical dispersants and biological agents: break down the oil into its chemical constituents • In-situ burning: method of burning freshly spilled oil while it’s floating on the water

14. Chemical Dispersants Skimmer Boom In-Situ Burning In

15. Take Home Points • More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled as a result of Hurricane Katrina alone (2/3 the oil spilled with Exxon Valdez Tanker) • Largest spills along Mississippi River south of New Orleans; technically no offshore spills (only leaks) • Globally, oil spills account for only 5% of oil entering the ocean; tanker accidents only a small percentage • Many clean up methods available– booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants, etc.

16. References • Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9365607/ • Louisiana Oil Rig Photo: http://www.jerrylabella.com/louisianas_steel-legged_reefs.htm • Image of Hurricane Katrina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina • Exxon Valdez Photo: http://www.hamburger-bildungsserver.de/welcome.phtml?unten=/ozean/oel-111.html • Louisiana oil spill photos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9612756/ and http://www8.dotd.louisiana.gov/emergency/ • API Slides on Katrina & Rita:http://api-ec.api.org/filelibrary/KatrinaSlides.pdf • Facts about Oil Spills: http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/faqs.htm and http://www.offshore-environment.com/facts.html • Clean up methods and photos: http://www.nos.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/supp_primer.html; http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image/viz_man1.html; http://www.ohmsett.com/For_Students_Questions_boomer_skimmer_Skimmer.asp; http://www.vs-c.de/vsengine/printvlu/vsc/en/ch/16/uc/vlus/cleanup1.vlu.html