Oil Spill in The Gulf of Mexico - Research Paper Example

Introduction: This composition discusses the environmental aspects of the Mexican Bay Oil Spill on an offshore drilling facility owned by British Petroleum. A brief overview of the incident is presented followed by the detailed discussion of the effects of the oil spill on the environment of the region in particular and the world in general. Conclusions are drawn at the end. The Incident: The energy demand of the world is increasing day by day in order to sustain the rapid industrial progress it has shown over the past few decades. The primary source of this energy is the fossil fuels which include coal, fuel oil and natural gas. The increasing demand of these commodities has put a great pressure on the existing fossil fuel reserves on the dry land. When it was found that a huge reserve of mineral oil exists beneath the sea bed as well, it was natural for the engineers and industrialists to look for the means to utilize those reserves as well. Hence, technologies were developed for ‘offshore drilling’ and soon it became a major contributor to the overall mineral oil production in the world. ‘Deep Sea Horizon’ is one such offshore drilling facility that drilled oil from a deep sea well in Gulf of Mexico. On 20th April, 2010 an explosion occurred on the drill rig and the rig caught fire. As much as 11 workers were killed and 17 injured in the incident and the rig was entirely destroyed but this was just the beginning of the catastrophe that has been unleashed. The destruction of the oil rig uncapped a large hole in the sea bed and oil gushed out of it a rate of more than 50,000 barrels per day. The oil companies and government authorities tried to contain the oil flow and limit it to a certain area so that damage to the coast line and fisheries and estuaries can be avoided. However, the flow of oil was so enormous (4.5 million barrels approx.) that the efforts could not prevent the anticipated wide spread damage to the marine life, tourism and seafood industry. Huge quantities of oil got mixed with the seawater after the incident changing the composition of the water and turning it into chocolate brown in color. US Government shut down a total area of 46000 square miles for fishing in the gulf. Much of the oil formed a one-foot thick layer above the surface of water however experts believe that the sea bed will also be drastically affected by the oil spill. Effects of the Contaminated Water on Natural Habitat: The Mexican gulf is home to a variety of living species which includes mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, plants, algae and coral reef etc. The area forms one of the most diverse ecosystems of the planet. All of it is drastically affected by the Oil Spill with many of the species facing extinction. The primary affectees of the oil spill are the algae and coral reef beds on the bottom of the sea. It is feared that the entire algae colonies are wiped off the area surrounding the hole from where the oil was being drilled. This is going to have drastic effects on the species that live in the area. The destruction of algae led to a decrease in the dissolved oxygen contents in the water. Oxygen being vital for the respiration of fish, mammals and other species living in the area, this have led to death of scores of these creatures. Fish and mammals being fast swimmers, a good number of them escaped the threat zone. On the other hand, crabs, shrimps and other small creatures that cannot swim very fast faced a definite death. In an area of hundreds of square miles none of these creatures survived the disaster. According to leading marine biologists, the time at which the disaster struck was itself a big tragedy. It was the breeding season for most of the species living in that area. It was also the nesting season in many fisheries and seafood farms on the cost of Louisiana. As thousands of eggs laid by fish and other marine creatures were destroyed, it will require a painstaking effort by the biologists and environmental engineers to redevelop the breeding cycle of these species. The destruction of coral reef in the affected zones is also a serious environmental issue. In the first month of the incident, the spill seriously damaged the coral reefs of ‘Pinnacles’ situated around 25 miles north of the site of incident. Coral reefs serve as food and shelter to various small marine species. The natural habitat of all these species is destroyed as a result of the Oil Spill. The effect of oil spill is not limited to the local area only. The ocean currents carried the oil to far flung coast lines of USA and damaged local habitats in those localities. The Gulf Currents carried the oil to as far as Florida threatening the world’s third largest coral reefs called ‘The Keys’. The area from Texas to Florida has nine such coral banks (including Pinnacles and The Keys) which were threatened by the oil spill. The magnitude of destruction that the incident has brought to the environment of the region can be estimated from this discussion. Species Endangered by the Spill: Almost all the marine organisms living in the area are badly affected by the disaster. The effects on a few species are more pronounced than the others. According to environmentalists following species are the most affected and even face the danger of extinction. The North Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna is one of such species. The fish travels through the Atlantic Ocean and comes to the Gulf of Mexico during the breading season. During the month of April when the explosion occurred at Deep Sea Horizon, large schools of fish gathered in the area and prepared their breeding spaces around the underwater vegetation found in the region. Due to the oil spill, the most of the fish cannot breed effectively. The eggs laid by a few are either destroyed or the larvae face physical damage and deformities. A total of seven sea turtle species exist on the earth out of which five migrate towards the Gulf of Mexico during their breeding season. A few newspapers reported that the number of dead turtles has tripled than normal figure during the same season due to the oil spill in the region. Brown Pelican, the state bird of Louisiana, has already been entered in to the list of species which are in danger of getting extinct. It has already suffered a lot at the hands of storms that came in the bay during the past few years. The oil spill has occurred during the breeding season of the species and hence the extent of damage that it has caused has increased manifolds. Scores of birds were found on the beaches with their wings turned brown with oil droplets dripping from the feathers. Dolphins and sperm whales are the sea mammals that live in the Atlantic and travel to the Gulf of Mexico during the time of year when oil spill took place. These sea mammals are not only affected by the suspended oil particles in water but are also harmed by the toxic effluents released by the oil in the atmosphere. This is because they have to come to the surface to breathe. Newspapers have reported dead dolphins found on the sea shores of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Oysters are found in great numbers around the coasts of Louisiana. These organisms are of great commercial importance whose existence is threatened by the massive oil spill that has polluted the sea waters in the area. Habitats of many different species of sharks lie around the Chandelier Islands. These islands are very close to the area where the oil spill occurred. Hence the natural habitats were severely damaged by the oil threatening the very existence of sharks living in the area. News articles reported that the sharks spotted swimming close to surface in search of food. Effects of the Dispersant Chemicals Employed: Thousands of gallons of dispersant chemicals were added in the sea water in a bid to reduce the oil pollution. The chemicals were to break oil droplets in to smaller size so that bacteria can easily digest the oil droplets. These chemicals had direct harmful effects on a few species e.g. oysters. Moreover, bacteria consumed a huge amount of oxygen in order to digest the oil suspended in the water. This decreased the oxygen content in the waters posing problems for the marine life that survived the direct impacts of the spill. As the algae beds have already been destroyed in the area by the oil on ocean bed, it will take a while before the oxygen content is replenished. Conclusion: The Oil Spill in the Mexican Gulf has been catastrophic to the environment and ecology of the entire Mexican Gulf and the coastline around it. Human life and economy has also been adversely affected by the disaster. The oil companies are providing compensations for the loss but this may not be enough. There is a need to bring forth such legislation which is preemptive and imposes strict restrictions in the designs of such oil drilling installations so that accidents can be avoided. Also, there is a need to shift towards non-conventional, renewable and safer energy sources so that dependency on fossil fuels can be decreased. Works Cited Burger, Joanna. Before and After an Oil Spill. First. N.p.: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Print. Colman, Leigh. "Whale sharks may be latest Gulf oil spill victims." Reuters. N.p., 2 July 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. "Dead dolphins wash ashore in wake of Gulf Coast oil spill." Daily News. N.p., 12 May 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. . Fahrenthold, David A., and Juliet Eilperin. "Scientists watch for environmental effects of Gulf of Mexico oil spill." The Washington Post. N.p., 1 May 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. "Gauging the Long-Term Impacts of the BP Oil Spill." Editorial. The Daily Green. N.p., 6 May 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. . "Gulf of Mexico oil spill: dead dolphins found washed up on US coast." The Telegraph. N.p., 12 May 2010. Web. "Gulf Oil Spill, by the Numbers." CBS News. N.p., 25 May 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. Johnson, Allen, and Agence France-Presse. "Gulf oil spill hits pelicans hard." The National Post [Canada]. N.p., 6 June 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. Lampton, Christopher. Oil Spill. N.p.: Millbrook Press, 1992. Print. Read More