WHAT IS AN OIL SPILL?

It is a mass of floating oil covering an area of water, especially oil that has
leaked or discharged from a ship or liquid petroleum hydrocarbon from an oil
tanker, Commonly referred to as marine oil spills and a form of pollution,
they include releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling
rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products – gasoline and
diesel-and heavier fuels used by large ships, such as bunker fuel, or the spill
of any oily refuse or waste oil.

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.

How Does an Oil Spill Affect The Environment?

Effects on the Water
 Oil spills affect water in a variety of ways. When oil is released into water,
it does not blend with the water. Oil floats on the surface of salt and fresh
water. Over a very short period of time, the oil spreads out into a very thin
layer across the surface of the water. This layer, called a slick, expands until
the oil layer is extremely thin. It then thins even more. This layer is called a
sheen and is usually less than 0.01 mm thick.

Oil spills on the surface of the water are subjected to the whims of weather,
waves and currents. All these natural forces move slicks across the surface
of the water. In addition, these forces stir up the oil slick and also control
the direction the slick moves in. An oil spill far out at sea can be carried
ashore by wave and current action. Rough seas can split an oil slick apart,
carrying some oil in one direction and more in another. In contrast, a near
shore oil spill can be totally controlled by currents and wave action that
causes the oil to come ashore, damaging marine shoreline habitat.

 Different types of oil react differently when spilled. Some evaporate in

small amounts, while others break down quicker. After the sheen breaks
down, a moderate amount of oil will break down and be deposited on the
bottom of the ocean. This usually happens in shallow water. Certain types of
microbes will break apart and consume the oil, but this in no way makes up
for the damage done during the spill. In addition, when oil breaks apart and
sinks to the ocean floor, it contaminates the underwater habitat, too.

Effects on the Coastline

 Perhaps the most visual part of an oil spill is the harsh effects oil has on
the coastline. Pictures of oil covered birds and sea mammals are common.
Oil is thick and sticks to everything it touches. While the most visual part of
the damage might be the birds and wildlife you see on TV, consider that the
oil covers everything right down to a grain of sand. Every rock, piece of
driftwood, saw grass, sand, soil, and microscopic habitat is destroyed or
affected by the thick oil that washes ashore after a spill. Oil spills affect the
coastal habitat from the smallest shells up to the largest boulders.
Unless there is a concerted effort to clean the shoreline, oil will basically stay
on shore until weather and time break the oil down. The process is
extremely slow, which is why so many environmentalists work diligently to
clean beach areas, rocks, and shoreline that have been contaminated. The
gooey mass that makes up an oil slick litters the shoreline with ugly black
tar. What makes it so very dangerous is that the coastline is where so much
marine life is concentrated. Typically, shore areas are the nurseries for fish
and marine life, in addition to being the home of many young marine
mammals. Contaminated shorelines are not only unsightly, but also
extremely dangerous to any wildlife in the area.

Effects on Marine Life and Wildlife

 When oil floats on the water surface, a marine mammal that surfaces in
the center of the slick ingests the oil. If this marine mammal is miles from
the oil spill but happens to ingest a fish that swam through it, he is
poisoned. The effects are far reaching. Marine and coastal life can be
contaminated in a number of ways, through poison by ingestion, destruction
of habitat and direct contact with oil.

Ingesting oil can cause any number of problems. Death is the obvious one.
However, if an animal ingests oil-saturated food, the effects might be longer
reaching that simply making the animal ill. People are not aware of the
immediate impact to an animal's ability to mate and have viable offspring
after being exposed to oil contamination. Fish ingest oil suspended in the
water through their gills. It is known that this affects their ability to
reproduce.

Habitat destruction is all too obvious with an oil spill. The most visible would
be seen on shore, but beneath the water there is a very delicate balance in
the reefs and shallow water habitats. Plankton, the smallest organisms, are
affected by oil spills. This effect moves right on up the food chain. Of
particular concern are the very delicate sea animals, such as clams and
mussels that feed on plankton.
Direct contact with oil harms any animal that comes in contact with the oil.
Bird's feathers are designed to repel water to protect the animal from the
elements, and they allow many birds to float on the water when resting or
searching for food. When oil cakes the feathers of a bird, it keeps the feather
from repelling water. Oil also weighs down the bird, keeping it from flying. If
a bird isn't cleaned of the oil, it's a sure license to death. Many birds ingest
deadly amounts of oil trying to clean their feathers. The same holds true for
marine mammals. Marine mammal fur acts as an insulator to keep the
animal warm in the coldest waters. When oil saturates the fur, it ruins the
ability of the fur to retain heat. Again, marine mammals can ingest the oil
when trying to clean their fur.

causes

sThere are a number of factors which can cause oil spills. It may happen
during the transport of oil across oceans. Oil spills are hazardous to the
environment and can be dangerous or deadly to affected people and
animals.

Oil is commonly transported by barges, tankers, pipelines, and trucks, each

of which has its own imperfections that can lead to an oil accident. Tankers
and barges can crash or run into unexpected land that causes a crack or
hole which allows oil to escape. Likewise, pipelines which transport oil
underground can develop leaks or cracks that allow oil to seep into the
environment. Oil shipping trucks can also instigate an oil spill in the event of
an accident. Some oil can escape while it is being moved from one vessel to
another, a process called lightering. Uncontrollable factors such as
hurricanes and other violent weather can cause tankers or barges to wreck
or can damage offshore drilling facilities, incidents that can lead to oil spills.

Oil spills can occur during other phases of production, such as when oil is
being extracted from an oil well or being converted into other products at a
refinery. Human mistakes as well as equipment failure are common causes
of accidents in such situations. Sometimes oil is even spilled intentionally as
an act of war or vandalism. Illegal dumping of oil is another deliberate act
that causes harm to the environment.
Since importing and exporting oil is a major mechanism of world trade, oil
spills often happen in the ocean during long international commutes. The
degree of effort involved in cleaning up an oil spill depends on the quantity
of oil that is spilled, the type of oil, the cooperation of the weather in clean
up efforts as well as the location of the spill. Lighter oils, such as gasoline,
have a tendency to evaporate into the air and are therefore generally easier
to clean up. A spill in the ocean is often relatively easier to clean up than a
spill in a smaller lake, though cleaning any spill is a complicated
undertaking.

When oil is spilled into the ocean, the movement of the waves causes some
of the oil to emulsify in the water. Some of the mixture sinks to the bottom
of the ocean where it sticks to rocks and sand. Some of the spilled oil is
consumed by microorganisms in the water, and some is broken down by the
sun. Still, some of the spilled oil is transported by the current onto land,
affecting the sand, rocks, grass and trees.

Oil spill prevention and cleanup procedures are monitored by organizations

such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Coast
Guard. Such organizations enact policies aimed at preventing spills, training
for oil clean up and making companies accountable for accidents.

Prevention
Further information: Offshore oil spill prevention and response

• Seafood Sensory Training- in an effort to detect oil in seafood,

inspectors and regulators are being trained to sniff out seafood tainted
by oil and make sure the product reaching consumers is safe to eat.[18]
• Secondary containment - methods to prevent releases of oil or
hydrocarbons into environment.
• Oil Spill Prevention Containment and Countermeasures (SPCC)
program by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
• Double-hulling - build double hulls into vessels, which reduces the risk
and severity of a spill in case of a collision or grounding. Existing
single-hull vessels can also be rebuilt to have a double hull.

Skimmers- are things that skim the slick (oil) off the top of the water.
Boomers- are inflatable, rubber blockades that trap the oil, so it is easier to
skim.
How do they clean up the oil on the beaches or the water after a
spill?

There are many ways to stop the spread of oil in the ocean. Workers can
place a boom around the tanker that is spilling oil. Booms collect the oil off
the water. A boom may be placed somewhere before an oil spill. They can be
placed around an entrance to the ocean, like a stream. They also can be
placed around a habitat with many animals living there. These booms will
absorb any oil that flows around it.

The workers can also use skimmers. Skimmers are boats that can remove
the oil off the water. Sorbents are sponges that can collect the oil. An
airplane can fly over the water dropping chemicals into the ocean. The
chemicals can break down the oil into the ocean.

They also can burn freshly spilled oil with fireproof booms to contain the oil.
They might not decide to burn the oil because this method causes air
pollution.

There are just a few ways

to clean the oil off the
beaches. Workers can use
high or low pressure hoses
to spray the oil that is on
the beaches. Vacuum
trucks may be driven on
the beaches to vacuum up
the oil. They can also
simply use shovels or road
equipment to collect all the oil off the beaches.

The method they use to clean the beaches or oceans depends on many
things. They have to look at the weather, the type and amount of oil spilled,
if people live in that area, what types of animals live in that area, and many
more things. In some situations, they may not react to a spill. It may not be
helpful or it would just cause even more damage to that habitat.
How do they clean animals after a spill?

Birds

There are many ways that animals are cleaned after an oil spill. When birds
arrive at the cleaning center, the oil is flushed from the eyes and the
intestines. They will also be examined for any broken bones, cuts, or any
other injuries. Next, they will get a stomach-coating medicine to prevent any
more oil from entering birds’ stomachs. Birds will then be warmed and
placed in a quiet area.

Birds need to eat so they have some nutrition while they are recovering.
Some animals might eat off a pan. Others may be forced to eat by a worker
before they can feed themselves.

When a bird appears to be normal, it is allowed to swim. The bird will then
trim and clean its own feathers to bring them back to their normal body
structure. This will help the bird swim again. Next, the bird will have to pass
a waterproof test. If the bird passes, it will slowly be introduced to the
temperatures outside. In the test, the bird must show the ability to float and
the ability to keep the water away from its body. Before they let the bird go,
they must check it to make sure that its muscular structure is average for its
species and the birds have no disease. Then the birds are released into the
wild.

Sea Otters

When sea otters are taken to a cleaning facility, the heavy oiled otters will
be washed first. Workers will wash the otters with warm water because they
hope it will break down the oil. The warm water also can warm the otters up.
The otters also will get medical treatment while they are being cleaned. The
otters will then have to wait so they can dry.

After their fur is dry, they have to stay a few more days so the workers are
sure of no diseases or broken bones.

Helping and Saving the Sea Life Today

Have you ever stopped to think what you use oil for? Every one uses oil a
lot. The whole world uses nearly three billion gallons of oil every day. We all
use it to fuel our cars, trucks, buses, and even to heat our homes. If you
have touched a chain on a bicycle, you have touched some oil. The black
stuff that appears on your fingers is an oil that makes the chains on your
bike run smoothly. We use oil to make asphalt which can help us pave our
roads. You can get examples of oil at a toy store, a hardware store, or a
drugstore, because oil is made into plastics, which could be any of your toys
or CD players. Oil is also used in medicines, ink, paints, and to create some
electricity. We all can help stop oil spills happening in the oceans. If you use
less oil, then less will have to be transported. We can use less oil by not
using our cars when we can walk or ride a bike. We also can use less oil by
paving the roads with cement. That way we are not using oil.

Think about how many lights you have in your house. Also think about all
the electronics like computers or televisions. All of these things use
electricity. If we all were to turn off lights, computers, or televisions when
not in use, we wouldn’t be using as mush oil to create the electricity
throughout the house.

There are many things being done to prevent more spills. The US Congress
passed OPA (Ocean Pollution Act) 90 (in 1990). The OPA 90’s major laws
are:

Emergency Response Plans- This law says that the owners of the tanker
must have a detailed plan on what they will do if there was a spill. They
must have this plan written before any spill.
Double Hulls- The law says that all ships in the U.S are required to have a
double hull by 2015.
Liability- The law says that the owners of a boat that spills oil will have to
pay $1,200 for every ton they spill.
Spill Fund-The law says that the government has money from companies
that transport the oil so when a spill occurs, the government can pay for
the clean up.
Navigation- The law says that the Coast Guard must know where the oil
tankers can drive without an oil spill occurring.
As you see, there are many things being done to prevent oil spills. If
everyone around the world decided to use less oil, we would lower the risk of
a large spill. If there were a spill, we wouldn’t be dumping as much oil into
the ocean, which would mean that there would be fewer animals killed or
injured. You can also help decrease oil spills by using less electricity and
gasoline, which are both made with oil.