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Is the BP oil spill worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
Win1236548
This oil spill (the Bp one) is the worse known in the entire U.S history
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∙ 13y ago
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What 3 locations did the Exxon Valdez oil spill affect?
The Exxon Valdez spill affected far more than three locations; the oil slick eventually covered 11000 square miles of ocean, much of Prince William Sound.
How does the GULf of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez oil spill differ?
Many differences: 1) Exxon Valdez was a tanker accident, therefore the quantity of oil was known. The spill size in the Gulf of Mexico is unknown as oil is still spilling from the wellbore. 2) Wave action was probably more effective in breaking up the oil spill. 3) Oil booms were not available to contain the Exxon-Valdez spill. 4) Other measures to disperse the spill were not available. Surfactants and bio-remediation were used late in the clean up operation. 5) The Exxon Valdez appears to be a more viscous oil than the Gulf spill. No attempt to burn the oil was considered. The Exxon oil was more prone to form emulsions. 6) Due to water temperatures, the Exxon oil was unlikely to evaporate th high end alkanes. In the Gulf spill (and also the Kuwait spill) high temperatures will allow the high end alkanes to evaporate.
When was the exxon valdez oil spill?
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was on midnight on March 24, 1989. It was considered as the second worst oil spill in US history.
How long did the effect of Exxon Valdez oil spill affect the ocean and coastal habitats of Alaska?
more than 15 years.
How long did the effect of the Exxon Valdez oil spill affect the ocean and coastal habitats of Alaska?
more than 15 years.
Is it true that the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is a bigger and worse leak than the Exxon Valdez disaster?
Sometimes, simple questions do not lead to simple answers. More oil spilled- Yes. Areally larger - difficult to say. Worse to the environment- too early to tell. Environmental damage is complicated. While I hate to complicate good headlines with minor technical details, but let me suggest that comparing Exxon Valdez to BP spill is difficult. Different marine and coastal environments, different type of spill, different clean up containment and clean up measures. Any oil spill will expand with the wind and currents, and undergo mechanical dispersion, with chemical and biological changes to its structure and makeup. Assessment of the environmental impacts of the weathered oil, distant from the foci can be subjective. Has more oil spilled out into the Gulf of Mexico at this point in time than spilled during the Exxon- Valdez disaster? The best answer is yes, if you accept the Task Force estimated Macondo flow rates of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels/day or 0.504 to 0.798 million gallons per day. Perhaps you've seen the headline that more than a million gallons is flowing from the well. It is actually a bit less than a million gallons per day on the upper end of the range. So, given the well has been flowing for around 40 days, the oil spilled in the gulf to present (May 30) is approximately 20 to 32 million gallons. Exxon valdez accident in 1989 spilled 11 million gallons. The volume issue is complicated by the fact that oil is being recovered with skimmers, which will continue after the well has been capped. The insertion tube and control burns reduce the amount of oil at surface. The volume at the surface is being diminished everyday by evaporation of the lighter hydrocarbons and dissolving in the sea water aided by dispersants. Evaporation did occur with Exxon-Valdez oil, but it was a heavier crude and seawater was colder. So is the net oil volume at the surface for the BP spill more than Exxon Valdez? I don't have an answer. Is the areal extent larger? I know for the Exxon-Valdez spill, the affected area became a very controversial issue- particularly in the courts. I expect that the areal extent of the BP spill will be equally controversial, as it becomes more difficult to track the individual streams with low concentrations of oil (or tar balls). Which spill has done the most environmental damage? I think it's too early to tell. Oil has invaded environmentally sensitive areas but at present, it is fairly localized. The BP spill is still going as of May 30. There will be some recovery of the ecosystem, as was the case in the Gulf War spill, Ixtoc, and the Exxon Valdez. See related links.
What are the Comparisons of Exxon spill to bp spill?
In terms of size, BP is worse. In terms of damage, there's no clear answer. Here are my reasons. The Exxon-Valdez spill was caused by a tanker accident causing oil to spill. The total amount of oil spilled is estimated to be 11 million gallons. The environmental damage was extensive. See related link. The BP spill is ongoing and as such, my comments are limited to my knowledge as of May 28. The BP well, Macondo, has been spilling oil since April 20. There have been various estimates of the rate. The latest estimate from a task force of professionals, is 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day. A barrel contains 42 gallons, so the estimated rate is 504,000 to 798,000 barrels per day. Considering the well has been spilling for 38 days, this means that approximately 19 to 30 million gallons have already been spilled into the gulf. As of today, May 28, we do not know if this flow has been stopped. So, it is correct to say that the BP blowout spilled more oil than Exxon-Valdez accident. However, is it a worse accident? Eleven people died in the fire. In this aspect, it is much worse. Is it worse in terms of environmental damage? No two accidents are the same. The damage is continuing. So are the clean up efforts. The Gulf Coast area is much more accessible. The resources in terms of clean up equipment are much more available in the Gulf Coast. The ecosystems of Alaska and Louisiana are very different. This will be a controversial question for some time. I have included information on the BP spill and three other very large spills, Exxon-Valdez, Ixtoc-1 and Gulf War spill. The Gulf War spill was the world's largest spill and the degree to which the oil impacted the environment is still controversial.
What did the people think of the Exxon Valdez?
It was an ecological disaster caused by a relatively new and well equipped ship in the hands of a less than competent Captain.
How much bigger was the BP oil spill than the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
I will give a short answer, and then a bit longer one, beginning with the word "however." The Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in 0.26 million barrels of oil (abbreviated Gbbls) and the Deepwater Horizon spill was 4.9 million barrels, so the BP spill was 4.64 million barrels larger. One barrel equals 42 gallons. However, controversy surrounds both estimates. I was surprised how big a range various groups have estimated the Exxon Valdez oil spill volume. The number of 0.26 Gbbls came from Wikipedia. They also give a higher estimate considered by some of 0.75 Gbbls. The estimates do become a bit confusing as they are given in cubic meters, gallons and barrels. Please see the side bar to the right of first link for these estimates in barrels. The estimate of the oil spilled in the BP oil spill comes from a Technical Task force, and is likely to be contested if BP is sued by the US government. When oil is flowing from a blown out well, accurate estimates are very difficult. The Task Force assumed that the oil rate began at a high rate, and then became less as the reservoir pressure declined. Reservoir pressure is important as it is the force driving the oil up the well. BP has suggested that just the opposite may be true. Oil rates could have been low when the blow out began, with a lot of debris in the well, then the rates increased as the debris was blown out of the well. So the short answer is 4.64 Gbbls and the long answer is nobody is in complete agreement on the numbers. The uncertainties of estimating volumes will probably mean there will never be complete agreement.
What does density have to do with oil spills?
Oil varies considerably in density. Some oil is so thick that it sinks in water. However, it is very uncommon for an oil well to produce very heavy oil. A light oil will have higher rates of evaporation, which means that some of the oil will be lost due to evaporation when it is on the surface. For evaporation, the density or really the composition of the oil is an important factor. Water temperature, air temperature, hours of sunlight, and wave action are additional factors. Loss by evaporation was considerably higher in the BP oil spill than in the Alaskan oil spill (Exxon-Valdez spill). Note that the Alaskan spill, the oil was low density. BP used controlled burns to destroy some of the oil. If the oil was heavier and there was more wave action, this might not have been possible.
Was the oil spill in Alaska bigger or smaller than the bp gulf spill?
it was smaller
Name the place of latest oil spill?
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The tanker was traveling outside the normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. It spilled 10.8 million gallons of oil (out of a total cargo of 53 million gallons) into the marine environment, and impacted more than 1,100 miles of non-continuous Alaskan coastline. State and Federal agencies continue to monitor the effects of this spill, which was the largest oil spill in U.S. history.For some other famous oil spills, see the Related Link below.
