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Oil spills can occur during the extraction, transport, and refinement of petroleum products. They are often the result of accidents, negligence, or natural disasters, impacting marine ecosystems and coastal environments. The aftermath of an oil spill leads to complex interactions of oil with water, affecting various habitats such as estuaries and beaches. This guide explores the causative factors behind oil spills, the process of oil containment, and the long-term effects on wildlife and human activity. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective response strategies and protection of sensitive habitats.
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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? • Transportation • Fuel • Lubrication • Asphalt/pavement • Plastics • Medicines • Ink • Fertilizers/pesticides • Paints/varnishes • Electricity • Waxes • Beauty products National Ocean Services/An Oily Mess
Oil’s Travels • Oil 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
Tanker Accidents – 15% • Oil Drilling – 6% http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/news/gallery/2007/dec/10/1/GD5563862 http://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.jpg http://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.jpg http://mythreethings.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/img_0096.jpg
Man-Made Causes of Spills 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 Spills • Oil 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 Spills • If 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 speeds • Bubbles 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?
World Oil Spills • Kuwaiti Oil Fires • 1991 • 170 million tons • Gulf War Oil Spill • Kuwait, Iraq, Persian Gulf • 1991 • 5.1 million tons • Deepwater Horizon • Gulf of Mexico • 2011 • 0.57 million tons Image from Time.com Image from guardian.co.uk
How does this compare with the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? Kuwaiti Oil Fire Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 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 ways • Estuaries • 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