Oil Spills - Effects On The Environment

Something....really worth knowing....

How do spills happen?

An oil spill which occurs near a coastline will always impact more living organisms then one which occurs in the open ocean. This is simply because coastal areas are home to much more concentrated and diversified populations of marine life than the open ocean. Nevertheless, all oil spills have an impact on marine organisms, and oil from open ocean spills can end up contaminating beaches hundreds of miles away. Oil spills can harm marine life in three different ways, by poisoning after ingestion, by direct contact and by destroying habitats.

Oil spills into rivers, bays, and the ocean are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities, usually while the oil is being transported to us, its users. During oil spills many things are affected. One of the major things being animals and birds in the sea. Fish, shrimp, and crabs, penguins and other water birds, sea otters, sea lions, seals, and killer whales. The oil gets into their bodies and they die of suffocation. All these creatures swallow the oil and also breathe in the poisonous fumes. Their bodies become coated with oil and thousands of these die in no time.

Spills can be caused by:

• people making mistakes or being careless.
• equipment breaking down.
• natural disasters such as hurricanes.
• deliberate acts by terrorists, countries at war, vandals, or illegal dumpers.

The effect:

Oil floats on salt water (the ocean) and usually floats on fresh water (rivers and lakes). Very heavy oil can sometimes sink in fresh water, but this happens very rarely. Oil usually spreads out rapidly across the water surface to form a thin layer that we call an oil slick. As the spreading process continues, the layer becomes thinner and thinner, finally becoming a very thin layer called a sheen, which often looks like a rainbow. Depending on the circumstances, oil spills can be very harmful to marine birds and mammals, and also can harm fish and shellfish. You may have seen dramatic pictures of oiled birds and sea otters that have been affected by oil spills. Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water-repelling abilities of a bird's feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Many birds and animals also ingest (swallow) oil when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them. Depending on just where and when a spill happens, from just a few up to hundreds or thousands of birds and mammals can be killed or injured.

The Environment:

The negative effects of ingesting toxic levels of oil are poorly understood for many specific organisms, especially micro-organisms such as plankton, bottom dwelling organisms and larval fish. The effects on larger creatures such as fish and marine mammals are much more fully documented. Fish ingest large amounts of oil through their gills. If this does not kill them directly, it can inhibit their ability to reproduce or result in offspring which are deformed. Especially vulnerable are slow moving shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels. These creatures can't escape from an oil slick.

Because oil and oil products in the environment can cause harm, we need to prevent problems when we can. For example, by avoiding dumping oil or oily waste into the sewer or garbage, we avoid polluting the environment we live in. Sometimes, we can find ways to avoid using oil in the first place: for example, we can bicycle, walk, or take the bus rather than taking a car to some places we need to go. When we use less oil, less needs to be transported, and there's a lower risk of future oil spills. We should understand that it is because we rely on oil that we run the risk of oil spills. That means that all of us share both the responsibility for creating the problem of oil spills and the responsibility for finding ways to solve the problem.