Oil Spills
Marine Oil Spills Oil spills often occur while oil is being transported across the globe in large tanker ships.
If a tanker runs aground and tears a rip in the side of the boat, all the oil leaks out into the water. Oil doesn’t mix with water, so it all floats to the top and spreads out over a massive area.
As the oil spreads, it first damages sea life and eventually reaches the shore to harm land animals and plants. Oil is toxic to the fish, kills plant life in the water and on the shore, and kills animals living near the water.
The damage is particularly bad when the oil reaches grassy shores and marshlands where it affects a large variety of life and is very difficult to clean up.
Bilge Washing Oil spills aren’t always mistakes. In some countries, oil tankers are allowed to wash out their oil tanks with seawater!
Spreading Oil There are several factors that will determine how fast spilled oil on water spreads. Water temperature Tides Currents Weather
Parts of an Oil Spill The thin layer of oil on the top of the water is called the slick.
After the lighter parts of the slick evaporate into the air, the heavy stuff that is left behind can clump up and turn into tar balls. Tar balls sink lower in the water, but not necessarily all the way to the bottom. They usually wash up on shore later.
BP Oil Disaster Some oil is drilled from the surface of the ocean through large operations called “oil rigs”.
In 2010 there was an explosion on an oil rig owned by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico.
The explosion damaged the underwater pipeline and oil began flowing directly into the ocean. It flowed for three months. It was the biggest oil disaster ever.
US oil spill explained video
2010 BP Oil Spill news coverage video
The spill released 4. 9 million barrels of oil into the ocean The spill released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean. There was a disastrous effect on plants and animals in the gulf region. It hurt the local economy, too. Would you eat fish from the Gulf of Mexico?
Oil Spill Clean-up It takes years to clean up after an oil spill and some things can never be fully cleaned up.
A Year after oil spill video