It’s Time to Stop Lying about Oil Spills Essay

Oil spills are one of the worst things that can happen to wildlife. For example the Exxon Valdez oil spill that occurred on March 24, 1989 was the worst oil spill to ever happen in North American waters. A tanker from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska ran into a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. 11 million gallons of oil spilled into the water. The area that the oil spilled into had a large amount of wildlife. In the region

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.

Regardless of their attempt, the spread of the oil to the surface and shore of the ocean was inevitable. Therefore, all marine animals were affected by the oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil filled the blowholes and entered the lungs of dolphins and whales. This made breathing almost impossible.

One of the most recognized disasters regarding hazardous chemicals is the wreck of the infamous Exxon Valdez. After the oil tanker ran aground on Bligh reef in the spring of 1989, millions of liters of crude oil leaked into the Prince William Sound, off the coast of Northern Alaska causing millions of the native wildlife to die. Thankfully, it didn’t seep into the open ocean but the oil harmed not only the local Alaskan wildlife it also harmed the reputation and honesty of big oil corporations such as the Exxon shipping company, the livelihoods of thousands of the local fishermen and the water quality of the Prince William Sound. The Exxon Valdez

This disaster of the BP oil spill has caused many deaths: 64 mammals, 2,919 birds, and 489 sea turtles according to National Wildlife Federation and these numbers are going to continue to rise year after year till all the oil is cleaned up. Also, the Gulf is home to endangered species. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are currently listed as endangered, and could go to threatened in the next couple years. Another example is the Bluefin Tuna which is labeled as endangered and could send them to extinction due to the massive oil spill. This is one dire effect that is hurting our ecosystem, and this same instance happened in Alaska with the Exxon Valdez oil spill. A great example of how gruesome the oil has taken on wildlife, look at Fig. B where a there is an oil-soaked pelican. I believe the world should change its main source of oil to a different less destructing fuel.

Twenty seven years ago, tragedy struck the cold Pacific waters of Bligh reef in Alaska. March 24, 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill took place. It was a devastating and horrific event that took more life than you can could count within the same hour. It is said to be the cause of mischeck and improper equipment supply. The cause was so big, no one noticed it. Such a massacre of wildlife could have been avoided if only they took the time to care.

Until now, when the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in 2010 and dumped 4.9 million barrels of oil into Louisiana salt marshes, scientists had no idea which kinds of animals were most affected and what impact it had on the food chain. However, with a new study from a Coastal Waters Consortium team of researchers led by Rutgers University postdoctoral researcher, Michael McCann, has found out what animals and insects affected by the Deepwater Horizon explosion that should be given the top priority for conservation, protection and research. The researchers found that terns, gulls and wading birds were both sensitive to the oil and so deeply connected to other animals in the food chain as predator and prey that losing them would impact

A detrimental event occurred within American borders off the coast of the usually pristine and beautiful landscape of Alaska. Our country’s dependence on oil for energy pushed for the exploration, exporting, and refining of oil in our largest state. The ship released around 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound waters; it was the largest oil spill in American history at the time. The cleanup was one of the most expensive endeavors, as the efforts cost around $2 billion over the course of an intense four summers (Tweed, 2014). 26 years after the incident, marine and terrestrial wildlife in the Alaskan

In this century, there are nothing new about human corruption of the earth. However, in this article said that today, scientists has investigated the effects of Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 on Alaskan communities and ecosystems for embryonic salmon and herring. Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska shows that the spill may had much greater impacts on spawning fish than previously recognized because of crude oil can develop hidden heart defects that adjustment for their later survival.

Oil spills happen all of the time, and are almost always inevitable. However, an oil spill happening in the Arctic is something that has never come to pass, yet. There are new variables that must be considered. The ice that floats on top of the waters in the Arctic are an obstacle all of their own. If an oil spill were to occur in this part of the world, the oil could easily be trapped under the ice. These frozen pieces are not stationary, they are always moving. Keeping this in mind, as the ice moves, with oil underneath, the oil moves. This causes irreparable damage to more than just one solitary location. It travels creating chaos for multiple marine ecosystems. This in turn creates a problem for animals, both on land and at

The oil industry, though it harnesses over hundreds of billions of dollars’ revenue worldwide, it provides many consequences to ecosystems. They have the potential to kill marine mammals and birds by Direct Toxicty, and weakens the organism’s immune systems. Offshore drilling affects the geological structure of the oceans as the process of it includes drilling into the sedimentary rocks and into the oil reserves. The Exxon Valdez spill is an example of oil contamination that has killed an estimate of 250,00 sea birds, 3000 sea otters, 3000 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, more than 70 killer whales, and billions of salmon and herring eggs.

There have been many oil spills in the ocean, some big and some small. All of these oil spills have had a huge effect on the wildlife in the ocean. The oil from the oil rig stays on the surface of the water because oil is less dense than the water, this causes the oil to just float cause it can't go anywhere else and it won't mix in with the water. This is harmful in so many different ways to the life in the ocean. The oil can prevent sunlight from penetrating the surface, which can cause it to be dark under the surface. The oil also can cover thousands of birds, mammals, and sea turtles. When birds land in the water they become covered in oil. The oil ruins the insulating and waterproofing properties of the fur and feathers, and without feathers

Oils spills are often fatal for marine animals.”8,000 birds, sea turtles, and marine animals were found injured or dead after the (Gulf of Mexico) spill (How does the BP Oil Spill Impact Wildlife and Habitat? 2). When trying to clean themselves, they ingest the harmful toxins found on their feathers/bodies.

On April 20th, 2010, an enormous explosion took place on the Deepwater Horizon Rig located fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana. This explosion triggered a chain of events that resulted in the death of eleven workers and more than 184 million gallons of crude oil being spilled into the ocean water (“100 Days,” n.d.). This oil contaminated the habitats of hundreds of species to a nearly unrecoverable extent. If any members of the native wildlife were not killed, they would be found completely coated in oil and in desperate need of care to save their lives. This incident is known as the BP oil spill, and its effects on the environment can still be seen in today’s oceans, for multiple regions are still not cleansed of the substance.

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).