Deepwater Horizon Effects

Massive cleanup efforts were initiated within a few weeks of the spill and they continued at reduced levels for the next three years. Approximately 14% of the spilled oil was recovered by cleanup crews (Newsweek, p.50). As a result of these efforts and natural weathering, little oil from the spill remained in the affected area by 1992. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration some oil residues are still found under the ocean surface in areas sheltered from wind and waves. Yet, these residues are highly weathered and the toxicity is reduced to levels tolerable by organisms in the water (7). Nonetheless, the magnitude and timing of the Exxon Valdez oil spill raised immediate concerns about possible effects on marine fish and wildlife and prospects that these effects might be long lasting.

Oil spills are usually associated with environmental disasters; because of this the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and related policies have inadequate amount of tools that will help humans deal with these accidents. When the Macondo blow out happened, we had to assess the impact that it also had on human health, mental and physical because it had affected a large area. The Macondo spill unfortunately happened less than five years after Hurricane Katrina damaged Louisiana and Mississippi coast. Clearly, a lesson that was learnt from the oil spill was that the nation wasn’t prepared for widespread, poor effects on human health and mental well-being. Most of the communities along the Gulf had resided there for the majority of their lives or at least 20 years; this oil spill had worried the residents about payments, money issues, and the stability of their communities, which in turn affected their health.

The oil spill created long term problems for the living organisms that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico. The oil covered the feathers of birds, making them unable to float at the surface. The oil killed some of the deep sea coral as far as seven miles away from the site. Mammals ingested the oil, which resulted in some of the mammals having internal bleeding and ulcers. This has also lead to an increase in sea turtles stranding, sick dolphins, and a decrease in population of many marine animals. This disaster stuck during the breeding season for many species of wildlife. “The oil’s toxicity may have hit egg and larval organisms immediately”, which could have wiping out those age classes. Population dips and cascading food web has occurred due to

USDC (2012) reports that on April 20, 2010 examinations of the world concentrated on an oil platform in the Gulf, around 50 miles off the Louisiana coastline. The mobile drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, which was being made used to drill an experimental well for BP Exploration and Production, Inc. (BP), violently blew up, ignited and at some point sank, tragically eliminating 11 employees. However that was just the start of the catastrophe. Oil and various other compounds from the rig and the well started streaming unabated around one mile below the area. Preliminary efforts to cap the wells were not successful, and for 87 days oil ejected unmonitored and uncontrolled into the Gulf. Oil soon enough covered a huge location of hundreds of square miles, and held by the tides and currents reached the coastline, contaminating beaches, bays, estuaries and marshes from the Florida panhandle to west of the Mississippi River delta. At the height of the spill, around 37 % of the open water in the Gulf was closed to fishing.

Examination of this article will show what chemicals have been introduced into the gulf waters and the potential impact if left untreated. The disastrous effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil leak have caused a significant impact on our marine and mammal seafaring wildlife. Many private and governmental research institute studies were conducted immediately upon contamination and leakage of the oil flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Extensive studies were conducted over the course of the months before the capping of the oil well. To this day continued research studies have been conducted in the 6 years following the oil spill. Analyzing the impacts and effects of the oil spill, and the changes it has made to our environment and the ecosystem with in the gulf itself.

On April 10, 2011, an oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. This explosion killed 11 crewmembers and caused the rig to sink to the bottom of the ocean. This caused an estimated 180-185 million gallons of oil to flow into the gulf. It wasn’t until July 15, 2010 until the oil was contained and stopped flowing. The Gulf was virtually covered in crude oil. There were many effects from this spill and many of them were environmental. Animals had to swim through this oil and birds that landed in it were no longer able to fly because of the heavy oil on their wings. At least a thousand birds died and hundreds of other animal also perished. The oil washed up onto beaches and caused them to close to the public. Some of the effects were even

The National Wildlife Federation posted an article referring to the April 2010 oil known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in which the author discusses the major impact that the spill had on the Gulf environment. This oil spill had detrimental effects on environment and the cleanup efforts caused an even more harsh impact on the numerous aquatic animals that are native to the Gulf. In the article, ‘The Deepwater Horizon’s Impact on Gulf Wildlife and Habitats’, the author tried to articulate the gravity of the damage caused by the spill and the long-term effect that the spill would have on the Gulf and its population of aquatic animals. The author of the article refers specifically to the whale, sea turtle, and dolphin population, as well

BP was met with severe criticism for the ecological impacts of the oil spill, as the environment of Gulf of Mexico was completely damaged from the spill. The spill did not only bring about pollution to the marine wildlife but it also destroyed Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. Like the effects on the physical environment, the social and economic environments were also affected. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico were closed due to pollution from the oil spill. As a result, recreational and commercial fishing were banned. The state of Louisiana closest to the oil well was greatly affected by the incident but the effects were as far reaching as the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Since fish, oysters and shrimps form an important

4) Project Blue Gulf advocates the scientific observation, experimentation, and unearthing of water quality of the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. The BP oil disaster is regarded as the largest and most catastrophic marine oil spill in United States history. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil discharged into the Gulf over the course of 87 days and had devastating environmental, ecological, economic, and public health consequences. Our mission is to provide future direction to natural resource managers through the acquisition of water quality data, as well as raise public awareness concerning the critical need for restoration and risks associated with offshore drilling. We encourage active participation by beachgoers, water enthusiasts, and science buffs of all experience and levels of education.

Extensive damages of coastal areas around New Mexico affecting the wetlands and the fishing industry are caused by the oil spill. The oil spill was recorded as the destructive disaster of all times. Deepwater horizon oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in New Mexico and it has affected the 16,000 total miles of coastline. Millions of gallons of crude oil have been spread into the ocean. It is also known as BP oil spill ad it has impacted the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. It have been recognized as the worst oil spill in US history. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are responsible for determining the effects of the oil spill through a process known as Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Coastal wetlands

To date, the majority of oil spill operations are rarely capable of recovering and/or treating more than a small portion of the oil which was spilt.12 Within the Gulf of Mexico it was estimated that nearly 4.9 billion barrels of oil were spilt, and approximately half of the oil spilt was 100% methane which and is still within the Gulf today.12 The oil was able to rise to the ocean surface and extended over an estimated 68,000 square miles—this is approximately the same size as the state of Oklahoma.12 Considering the amount of oil spilt, there has been and continues to be a huge impact on marine life, wildlife and their ecosystems, as well as the fishing and tourism industries.

The e Deepwater Horizon oil spill at the Macondo well began on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April 2010 killed 11 people and caused almost 5 million barrels of oil to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill covered 68,000 square miles of land and sea and triggered a response effort involving the use of nearly 2 million gallons of dispersant chemicals (Pallardy). Considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS) resulted in widespread environmental and economic damage, the exact nature of which is only beginning to be understood (Shultz 59). This paper will address the causes of this unmitigated ecological disaster and discuss steps that need to be taken to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again.

The overall ecological health of the gulf after this disaster will remain in question for years to come. The inability to measure the extent of damage goes beyond the economics. The overall health and well-being of these waters may never

P Oil spill was additionally called “the deepwater skyline oil spill”. It is among the most exceedingly terrible debacles of oil spills in mankind history. This is because of the degree of the harm that it had with respect to mankind, environment and the economy. More than 200 million raw petroleum gallons were pumped in the Bay of Mexico connection amid this spill. This occurred in around 87 days making this spill the greatest and the most exceedingly bad in the Assembled States' history. Around 16,000 miles along the coastline were influenced by this debacle including Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and Florida coasts. This oil was cleaning up the shores even after the spouting admirably was topped in July 2010 (Griggs, 2011). Amid this occurrence, 11 individuals kicked the bucket and 17 were fundamentally harmed. According to Mississippi River Delta (2014), “ The BP oil disaster dumped

The Deepwater horizon explosion occurred on the 20th of April, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil rig was owned and managed by Transocean, while British Petroleum (BP) leased the rig and hired supervisors. On that fateful day, a natural gas surge erupted from within the drilling line of the oil rig resulting in a massive explosion (Heller 29). The explosion damaged the drilling platform and killed eleven workers, triggering investigations by the Department of Homeland Security.