The Environmental Damage of Oil Spills - Assignment Example

Environmental studies: BP Oil Spill April 13, Introduction Oil spills are avoidable accidents. Oil spills directly affect the environment. The oil spill disables the delicate ecological balance of the environment. Oil spills damage plants. Oil spills can kill fishes, turtles, dolphins, and birds. One of the biggest oil spill occurrences within our United States is the Exxon Valdez supertanker ocean going vessel. One of the world’s oil spills, British Petroleum oil spill, took more than 80 days to control (Brennan 8). The research delves on the oil spills, with emphasis on the British Petroleum oil spill. Oil spills destroy the delicate balance of the environment. Oil Spills in general Oil spills can be defined as unintentional escape of liquid petroleum into the environment (Fleming 2). When boats carry a load of petroleum (black gold) along the high seas or oceans, accidents may occur. The accidents include leaks in the ships’ body. The ocean going ships normally carry bunker oil. The leaks allow the escape of the precious liquid into the waters’ surface. Likewise, hurricanes and cyclones trigger the sinking of petroleum carrying ocean going vessels. The sinking allows the ships oil product to pollute the ocean. Further, oil spills can also occur during gasoline station operations (Fingas 36). Some irresponsible gasoline station employees may accidentally spill diesel or gasoline onto the gasoline station floor area. This may occur when the employee is drunk, under the influence of prohibited drugs like cocaine, heroin, or other hallucinating drugs. Oil spills within the gasoline station premises may occur intentionally. The robber may intentionally spill the oil because the gasoline station owners refuse to give in to the robbers’ forceful requests for money. Furthermore, land area oil spills may occur within the oil extraction areas (Davidson 8). Oil wells extract petroleum from the earth’s surface. Sometimes, the strong pressure of the earth’s oil escaping the oil wells overpowers the oil well’s protective equipments. The protective equipments are used to control the flow of oil from our earth’s bosom, preventing escape of the petroleum onto the oil rig floor. Moreover, oil spills may occur on ocean based oil extraction platforms (Fleming 2). Some oil extraction companies set up oil drilling wells on the ocean areas. The ocean oil extraction platforms remove the precious oil from the ocean floor. Sometimes accidents occur on the ocean area oil extraction platforms. The accidents may cause oil spilling onto the vicinity of the oil extraction platforms. During ocean vessel spills, it is difficult to compute the exact amount of oil spill (Davidson 8). When a boatload of bunker oil sinks, it is difficult to estimate the amount of oil spill. With the ship’s crew drowned or lost in the ocean current, the oil spill cleanup team can only guess the amount of the ship’s oil spill. There is a possibility that some of the ship’s bulk oil products were transferred to other ships before the oil spill incident. Likewise there is a possibility that some of the ship’s bunker oil had been delivered to the ship’s land destinations prior to the ship’s oil spill incident. Knowing the volume or size of the ship’s crude oil storage room does automatically equate to the amount of oil spill (Fingas 4). Further, oil spills can be intentional. One research along United States coastal waters conducted during 1999 shows vessels normally drop their operation’s spent oil waste into the ocean’s waters. Oil used in washing the ship’s cargo is dropped into the ocean. Oil used for smooth offshore well operations pollute the ocean floor. Oil from jettisoned airplanes and helicopters are dumped into the clear blue ocean. Recreational marine vessels also dumped their spent oil into the ocean (Stout 2). Furthermore, oil Spill management includes three processes. One of the processes is containing the oil spill’s spread to other areas. Another process is the cleanup of the oil spills. A third process is assessing the damage on the environment. Another important process is determining the losses from the oil spill, including the death of marine life affected by the coastline oil spill (Ramseur 5). Environmental effects of oils spills In terms of effects, the oil spills damage the environment (Kline 186). Marine oil spills destroys the habitat of marine life. Oil spills blanket huge bodies of water with deadly petroleum. When swallowed by the fishes, the fishes die. When swallowed by sea turtles, the turtles die. When squids, octopuses, dolphins, and eels consume the oil spills, their life is snapped out. Further, the oil spills stick to the bodies of marine -based animals. The oil spills unfavorably coat the water –based birds, such as sea gulls and kingfishers, with oil. Similarly the oil spills stick to the bodies of sea lions, otters, ducks, geese, and sea –based mammals. The oil spills destroy the living environment of floating water plants, including water lilies (Kline 186). Furthermore, the oil spills may inflict severe damage on marine based animal and plant life. Some marine living things can survive the effects of the oil spills. Most of the marine animals succumb to the side effects of the oil spills. Marine animals like turtles cannot survive the oil spill incidents (Kline 186). Moreover, oil spills have different effects on the oceans or rivers. Oil spills will cover small areas when spilled in stagnant water environments. One stagnant water environments is the lake. Another stagnant environment is the swamp. A third stagnant environment is the marsh area (Fingas 43). Further, oil spills can damage larger marine areas. Larger marine areas include areas where water easily flows from one location to another. Rivers are characterized by free flowing water. Streams are described as having flowing water movements (Fingas 43). Furthermore, oil spill effects will last longer in still water environments. The oil will stay within the marshes or swamps for many months. Without human intervention, it takes longer for oil to evaporate from the stagnant or still water environments. Human intervention includes cleaning the swamps or marshes of the oil spills (Fingas 43). However, oil spill effects will last shorter in fast moving water environments. The moving water will send the oil spill to another location. The moving water will spread the oil spill thickness to bigger square mile diameters. As the moving oil spill spreads out, the concentration of the oil in one area of the oil spill decreases. With decrease oil spill quantities in one marine location, marine life from other marine areas can populate the thinned out water location, bringing marine life back to the water’s pre-spill level (Fingas 43). Further, the oil spills may drop to the bottom of the water location. Normally, the oil destroys the living conditions of the water bottom. The oil –covered water bottom kills the worms crawling in the bottom. The oil covered marine bottom kills the insects living on the water bottom. Lastly, the oil spill will destroy the bottom –dwelling shell fish (Fingas 43). Furthermore, the oil spill destroys the life cycle of the marine environment (Fingas 43). The oil spill coats the water plants. Consequently, the oil-covered water plants die. Some water-based insects feed on the plants. Some fish species feed on the water plants. When the plants die, the water based insects and fishes are forced to transfer to other water areas. If the plants and insects do not transfer to other food- rich marine areas, the hungry plants and insects will die or disappear. Some marine animals that normally feed on the previously living plants and insects will die from hunger. If the fish and other insects disappear, many of the predators will be deprived of their fish or insect food choices. Consequently, the human beings are deprived of the health elements of the disappeared marine food choices. Moreover, there are other ill effects of the oil spills on human being aspect of the environment (Philp 35). One effect is anxiety. Another effect is depression. A third effect is post –trauma stress. A research on the Prestige Oil Spill that occurred 130 miles away from the coast of France and Spain shows the contents of the spilled oil had unhealthy effects on human beings. The Prestige oil spill components contained volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and poly-acylic aromatic hydrocarbons. The components had the capacity to cause ill effects on human. The ill effects included carcinogenicity (cancer- causing), genocide, and destroys the normal endocrine functions of humans (InstituteofMedicine 22). Further, a research on the environmental damage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill showed the oil spill endangered the already endangered (near extinction) animals. The oil spill threatened the endangered blue whale and Northern Right Whale species. The oil spill threatened the endangered Whooping Crane and Perdido Key beach mouse species. The oil spill threatened the endangered Hawksbill turtle and Loggerhead turtle species (Alexander 5). In one research, the oil spill damaged the mangrove plants lining the coasts of Trinidad and Tobago. The damage to the mangroves destroyed the balanced diversity among the plants and the marine animals within the nation’s oil spilled coastline. Consequently, the people whose livelihood is fishing were totally devastated for losing their main source of livelihood. The oil spill killed the fish sources, taking the fishermen’s main livelihood away. People from the nearby Penal village of Trinidad and Tobago were forced to evacuate to areas that were not reached by the oil spill (Taylor 295). Further, the dishonor of being the biggest oil spill explosion that hit our shores is the Exxon Oil Spill (Taylor 295). The Exxon Oil Spill occurred during 1989. The oil spill occurred Alaska. The Exxon Valdez super tanker was heading towards California’s Long Beach area on March 24, 1989. The super tanker struck the Bligh Reef within Alaska’s Prince William Sound community. The tankers spilled over 749 million barrels of bunker petroleum oil into the sea. Specifically, the oil spill caused environmental damage to Alaska’s Prince William Sound community, creating insurmountable panic among the residents. The huge petroleum oil carrying tanker, Exxon Valdez, caused the biggest United States oil spill prior to the British Petroleum oil spill of 2010. Research showed that human error caused the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon Valdez had the capacity to hold an estimated 61 million barrels of bunker fuel petroleum. Picture 1 Exxon Valdez All aspects of the British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill The BP Oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico (Brennan 8). The oil spill is also called the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Another name for the same incident is the Macondo Blowout. The BP oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010. BP owned the Macondo Prospect. The Macondo Prospect exploded. Consequently, an estimated eleven people were killed by the accident. The Deepwater Horizon oil facility exploded. Consequently, the Deepwater Horizon sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico coastal location. The oil spill continued for more than 85 days. It is classified as one of the biggest oil spills in the global oil spill history. The estimated oil spill was more than five million barrels. The oil spill was finally stopped after more than 20 September 2010 days. There are doubts that the leak continues from an undiscovered spot. Picture 2 British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill of 2010 Further, the Deepwater Horizon is the oil extraction platform. The platform is strategically located on the Gulf of Mexico waters. It is near Louisiana. Louisiana is near Texas (Brennan 8). Furthermore, the BP explosion is one of the largest oil spill explosion that hit the United States. Previously the British Petroleum Exxon Valdez was held the record of highest oil spill record. Implementing very dangerous oil extraction processes during April of 2010. The Deepwater Horizon oil extraction water platform burst into flames. Consequently, the extracted oil bursts continuously into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico Sea. The destroyed oil rig pumped an average of millions of oil barrels per day into the defenseless sea. The oil spill dangerously affected over 399 animal and plant species. The monetary damage was catastrophic. The catastrophic amount exceeded the $2.4 billion level. The oil spill literally damaged the entire fishing industry in the area (Brennan 8). On the first day of the oil spill, Interior Secretary Salazar reported that the British Petroleum (Bp) immediately tried its best to contain the oil spill. However, the strong outpouring of the oil spill prevented all measures to stop the outpouring were unsuccessful. One of the tried stop measures was inserting tubes into the deepwater Horizon oil pipes. This strategy failed to correct the leak for more than 80 days (Honnungar 2). Further, the British Petroleum explosion affected the company’s stock market price. On June 1, 2010, the stock market shares of British Petroleum literally plummeted. During 2010, the British Petroleum Company’s June stock market price literally dropped by an estimated 18 percent. Consequently, more than $22 billion of British Petroleum’s stock market value evaporated into thin air, triggering a possible bankruptcy. The drop in the value of the British Petroleum stocks wiped out a huge portion of the pensioners’ fund reserves (Honnungar 2). Furthermore, the investigation showed that a strong methane gas surged up through the Deepwater Horizon’s oil extraction pipes. The 2001 investigation showed BP erroneously did not install the required explosion prevention device. The device would automatically shut down the oil drilling and extraction operations to prevent an impending explosion. The sensors of the device triggered the automatic operations shutdown when certain drilling criteria arose. The sensors included fire detectors (Freudenburg & Gramling 43). Moreover, the oil spill spread towards the Mobile community of Alabama. The spill continued to spread to other nearby coastlines. The affected coastlines included Florida. Alabama’s beaches were also infiltrated by the encroaching oil spill. The initially hit areas included the famous Mississippi River. Pensacola Beach was not spared from the incoming oil spill. Initially, more than 8,000 wildlife species were literally damaged by the incoming oil spill’s rampage(Kline 186). Further, Louisiana’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act made it possible for British Petroleum (BP) to pay an estimated $ 350 million damages. The same Act requires British Petroleum (BP) to pay for the costs of cleaning up the mess caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion. British Petroleum insured its premises against possible accidents, including oil well explosions. Consequently, the insurance companies will help pay for the damages and other claims filed by affected parties. The company’s insurance includes $1.4 billion allocated for possible business losses due to business interruptions, including the Deepwater Horizon explosion interruption (King 5). Environmental and other effects of the BP oils spill Ships near the shore lines or coasts may cause oil spills. Consequently, the oil spills pollute the coastal areas of our nation. One example is the Exxon Valdez Company’s oil spill. The oil spill polluted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill came from the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling unit (Fleming 1). Oil spills also occur on land areas. Oil carrying tankers carry petroleum products along our nation’s state highways may meet unexpected accidents. A traffic crash may cause the oil to spill onto the pavements. When this happens, the oil spills cause other fast moving unsuspecting passing vehicles to skid towards their own road accidents. Further, the Deepwater Horizon’s alarm system was shut off prior to the fateful explosion to remove false alarms. The shutting off caused the death of employees working within the Picture 3 Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform explosion being extinguished explosion’s 2,500 mile circular damage area. The 10:00 p.m. April 20, 2010 Methane explosion caught the employees by surprise, killing more than 10 employees. The environmental damage precipitated to losses. The losses came from tourist visit declines and fishing stoppage. The total estimated losses for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida was estimated at between $ 15 million to $29 million (Farrell 7). Picture 4 Effect of Oil Spill on the Marine –based Birds of the Gulf of Mexico Furthermore, the cover of the Farrell Book shows one of the environmental effects of the British Petroleum Oil Spill of 2010 (Farrell Cover). Oil spills affect the health of humans living within the vicinity of the oil spill. Inhaling the evaporating contents of the oil spill that permeates the breathing environment of the human residents causes health issues. A research on the environmental effects of prior 38 oil spills proves oil spills had unfavorable effects on the human being component of the environment, including the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Institute of Medicine 22). Human beings inhaling the “air” components of oil spill triggered eye irritations. Other human suffered from throat irritations. Some of the individuals were diagnosed with oil spill-related respiratory or lung ailments. Some research respondents affirmed they suffered from renal malfunction. Other respondents affirmed medical professionals diagnosed them as afflicted with oil spill –related liver malfunction (Institute of Medicine 22). Picture 5 Environmental Effect of the British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill on Louisiana Further, the above picture shows one of the environmental effects of the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill. The picture shows the oil spill polluted the marsh areas of Louisiana’s coast lines. The area covered is huge. The picture shows the Blind Bay section of Louisiana (Farrell 56). Furthermore, the BP Oil Spill caused almost irreparable damage on the beaches lining the Gulf of Mexico Coast (King 4). The oil spill damaged the nearby wetlands. Similarly, the same oil spill incident destroyed the nearby estuaries. The oil spill was able to destroy the sands of Tampa Bay, Florida. The oil spill also damaged the areas near Macondo area, killing the trapped marine life. The same spill caused damage on Florida’s Panhandle beach community. The oil spill killed many dolphins and other marine animals. Recovered dead fishes showed their breathing gills were sealed together by the thick oil spill components. Conclusion Based on the above detailed information, Oil spills can be avoided. Oil spills directly damage the delicate balance of the environment. Oil spills can wipe out many wildlife species. The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill resulted to the death of some employees and destruction to the environment. Evidently, Oil spills, including the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill, devastates the delicate balance of the environment. Works Cited Alexander, Kristina. 2010 Oil Spill. New York: Diane Press, 2011. Brennan, Linda. The Gulf Oil Spill. New York: ABDO Press, 2014. Davidson, Walter. Oil Spill Response. New York: Springer Press, 2008. Farrell, Courtney. The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. New York: ABDO Press, 2011. Fingas, Mevin. Oil Spill Science and Technology. New York: Gulf Professional Press, 2010. Fleming, Susan. Oil Spills: Coast of Major Spills May Impact Viability of Oil Spill Liability Trust. New York: Diane Press, 2010. Freudenburg, William, Gramling, Robert. Blowout in the Gulf: The BP Oil Spill Disaser and the Future of Energy in America. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2011. Honnungar, Vijayakumar. British Petroleum Oil Spill Crisis and Aftermath. New York: Grin Press, 2011. InstituteofMedicine. Assessing the Effects of Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health. New York: National Academies Press, 2010. King, Rawle. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster. New York: Diane Press, 2010. Kline, Benjamin. First Along the River. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Press, 2011. Philp, Richard. Environmental Issues . New York: Bentham Science Press, 2012. Ramseur, Jonathan. Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters. New York: Diane Press, 2010. Stout, Scott. Oil Spill Environmental Forensics. New York: Academic Press, 2010. Taylor, Dorceta. Environment and Social Justice. New York: Emerald Press, 2010. Read More