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 can be spilled at any of these steps! 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

What Causes Man-Made Oil Spills?

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

Small Ships and Boats – 41%

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?

Can you name any other oil spills?

World Oil Spills Kuwaiti Oil Fires Gulf War Oil Spill 1991 170 million tons Gulf War Oil Spill Kuwait, Iraq, Persian Gulf 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