Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on USA’s Environment and Economy

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.

On April 20th 2010 an explosion on an oil ridge of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, was the cause of the greatest environmental disaster in history of the United States. This explosion took the lives of eleven men who were working on the ridge, and also ruptured an oil line, which dumped more than 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill significantly affected the wildlife of the gulf coast, killing hundreds of fishes, birds, and reptile that call the gulf coast home. The spill also affected global supply chain for major industries.

The goal of our research is to seek possible solutions to reduce the risks of offshore oil spills. To attain this goal, we gathered information from over twenty sources, including “Deepwater Horizon oil” from Wikipedia research and an article from the LA Times.

Still people make the argument that oil is just too important to stop drilling and that if anything we should drill more. Again author Margaret Haerens talks about how “According to the nation academy of Sciences, current cleanup methods can only remove a small fraction of the oil spilled into the ocean, leaving the remaining oil to continue affecting ocean ecosystems over time” (126). The long term impacts of offshore spills continue to corrupt the oceans and who knows when they will completely be gone. The effects of the oil directly on sea life such as sea birds, fish, shellfish, and other sea life are extremely dangers. “Studies have shown that tiny amounts of oil – as little as one part per billion – can harm pink salmon and cause their eggs to fail” (Haerens Margaret). Imagine swimming in the ocean when a large pool of toxic oils comes floating along right into you when you are trying to enjoy a day at the beach. Not only is offshore drilling have one of the longest lasting ecological impacts on society and living things on and off shore, it effects our economy as well.

These teams are looking to see how the remaining oil left in the Prince William Sound can affect the local wildlife. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, or the NOAA, says that “spilled oil can harm living things because its chemical constituents are Poisonous. This can affect organisms both from internal exposure to oil through ingestion or inhalation and from external exposure through skin and eye irritation. Oil can also smother some small species of fish or invertebrates and coat feathers and fur, reducing birds' and mammals' ability to maintain their body temperatures” (NOAA, N.d). The spill from the crashed ship resulted in millions of animals to die after they ingested a massive Dose of the oil, and that has created a massive Environmental Hazard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until years later that researchers found out the extent of the Exxon Valdez’s damage and just how large the Concentration of the oil was. According to Sara Graham of Scientific American, “the Exxon Valdez spilled 42 million liters of crude oil and contaminated 1,990 kilometers of shoreline. Some 2,000 sea otters, 302 harbor seals and about 250,000 seabirds died in the days immediately following the spill” (Graham, 2003). But that wasn’t the end of it. The oil has shown incredible Persistence and almost thirty years after the Exxon Valdez disaster occurred, we still feel the many Sublethal Effects that the spill had on the Alaskan

In 2010, an oil spill, now called the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill occurred at the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil was dumped into the ocean. The oil exposed to the marine life’s environment caused many of the marine life to become sick. Many of the birds would ingest oil while they tried to clean the oil off of their feathers and would cause them to have lung disorders. According to scientist, up to 800,000 thousand birds and 300,000 turtles died as a result. I am here to today to raise awareness on this issue and inspire others to help protect our oceans. I hope that one day, we can restore our oceans to the clean and pure ocean it once was.

well" ("Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010"). "Animals that were found alive in the wake of the spill were transported to rehabilitation centres and, after being cleaned and medically evaluated, were released into oil-free areas. Concerns about the offspring of sea turtles that nested on the gulf coasts of Alabama and Florida led wildlife officials to dig up thousands of eggs and hatch them in a warehouse for later release on the Atlantic coast. By late 2012 some 1,700 turtles had been found dead. A long-term satellite tracking study released in May 2013 showed that the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was likely severely affected, as its preferred foraging territory was within the area damaged by the spill. It was estimated that up to 65,000 imperiled turtles had died during 2010 alone, mostly as a result of oil contamination. It was also estimated that some 300,000 turtles, some of which were originally from breeding populations in other parts of the world, were in the region of the spill when it occurred, leading scientists to point out the global impacts

The fish herring population crashed for four years and other fish also declined too, but the link to the oil spill has remained controversial. The scientist new study findings published in the online and suggest that the delayed effects of the spill may have been

The moral obligations including the legal of the wild and coral life at the location of the disaster need to be addressed. Mr. President of United States administration didn't address the issue several times and skipped to answer the questions of media raising doubts about the damage it created to the wild and coral life. The entire tourism industry along with the fishing industry was completed closed leading to many economic and financial crises in few states of the United States (David, 2013). For days, the animals in the sea, including the fish, dolphins were found on the shores of the Mississippi and Louisiana states and after careful medical review, they were poisoned because of the crude oil settled deep into the ocean. Ecological damage is very hard to measure and it could take few years to properly document the extent of damage created by the oil spill.

The article studied the effects of the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The spill released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill impacted hundreds of miles of marine ecosystem along the Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida coastlines. (Cisneros-Montemayor, Sumaila, Dyck, Huang, Jacquet, Kleisner, & et al, 2012, p.499) The impacts on the marine ecosystem trickled down to impact economic functions of commercial fishing, mariculture, tourism, energy markets, and recreation. (Cisneros-Montemayor, Sumaila, Dyck, Huang, Jacquet, Kleisner, & et al, 2012, p.500) Considering the geographical located of the oil spill, the tropical system of the Gulf of Mexico played a key role during the oil spill. Tropical systems make a great habitat for mangroves and marshes, but these types of plants tend to suck up the oil and can retain it for long periods of time. (Cisneros-Montemayor, Sumaila, Dyck, Huang, Jacquet, Kleisner, & et al, 2012, p.501)

Understanding various ecosystems allow us to better understand the impact in which the deep horizon spill had within each type of ecosystem. The oil spill occurred around three specific types of ecosystems including the coastal areas, the freshwater areas, and the upland areas. The coastal areas often contain salty marshes which can be harsh on many plants. These coastal areas also include tropical coral reefs, sand dunes, and maritime forests. The freshwater areas include rivers and springs, lakes, swamps and freshwater marshes while the upland areas have pine and Flatwoods, temperate forests, and scrub (Par. 5). Each of these ecosystems can provide a different mixtures of challenges

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 BP oil spill made a huge impact on our marine life. If animals were not reported dead, they were reported very ill. The oil effected sea turtle’s eggs, which either failed to hatch or became extremely weak. Those hatchlings that did make it to the ocean faced the risk of running into an oil slick and becoming poisoned. Not only are hatchlings affected by the oil, but adult turtles were confronted with

over 8,000 animals(birds, mammals, turtles) were reported dead just 6 months after the spill, including many that were already on the endangered list. In the months following the Gulf oil disaster, wildlife managers, rescue crews, scientists and researchers saw many impacts of the oil impacting wildlife. Oil coated birds’ feathers caused birds to lose their buoyancy and their ability to regulate body temperature. Mammals could have ingested oil, which can cause ulcers and internal bleeding. Sea turtles were covered in oil as well. Nearly half the dolphins studied were very ill. 17% of the dolphins were not expected to survive. Since the spill, each year roughly 500 sea turtles are found stranded. The Gulf oil disaster hit at the peak breeding season for many species of fish and

Deepwater Horizon oil Spill: BP’s drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico had an explosion in April 2010, causing the “largest oil spill catastrophe in the petroleum industry history”. It caused the death of 11 men and injury to several others. “More than 150,000 barrels of crude oil gushed into the sea, every day, for almost 5 months and up to 68,000 square miles of the Gulf 's surface were covered” (1).