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Oil Spills
Questions related to the causes and effects of an oil spill, and ways of cleaning them up should be asked here.
1,162 Questions
Did the oil spill kill any animals?
yes it effected fish and plants wich also effected us by ruining drinking water
Where do oil spills mostly happen?
Oil spills can happen anywhere where oil, not limited to crude oil, is contained, produced, used, transferred or transported. Some examples are Oil platforms in the sea, oil wells on land, oil tankers transporting oil, facilities that refine the oil or transfer it to ships, motor vehicle workshops, motor cars, boats, restaurants, etc.
Spilling even half a cup of oil in water or on the ground is still an oil spill and can be hazardous to the environment. Not only crude oil from oil wells are hazardous to the environment, but also cooking oil and motor oil (to name a few) are.
What is the animal most affected by oil spills?
A seal or maybe a penguin because they can go under the water and they can travel out of the oil spill and survive
How are birds cleaned in an oil spill?
The dish detergent, "Dawn" cleans them right up!
Answer:
Cleaning oiled birds is a feel-good thing that the public demands. In reality oiled birds have usually ingested enough oil to impact their health and are no longer viable. In addition the recovery process of feeding the birds and accustoming them to human contact adversely affects their ability to survive in the wild. Many experts advocate simply euthanizing oiled birds.
What happens after oil is spilled in the ocean?
The oil pollutes the waters, and it very difficult to clean up. Polluted waters can create unfavorable living conditions for marine life (animals and plants), which could lead to deaths of a species. Oil washed ashore can cause pollution on the land. Animals that are there can get covered in oil, which could cause damage or death to the animals, and land is destroyed due to the spill.
AnswerA large portion of aquatic species rely on chemical messaging to transmit and accept information. The oil disrupts this, and at a certain point, these organisms are not able to effectively find food or navigate properly.What is bp doing to clean up the oil spill?
The rig's blowout preventer, a fail-safe device fitted at source of the well, did not automatically cut off the oil flow as intended when the explosion occurred. BP attempted to use remotely operated underwater vehicles to close the blowout preventer valves on the well head 5,000 feet below sea level, a valve-closing procedure taking 24-36 hours.
How do oil spills affect marine life?
Effects on marine life
Oil spills have a devastating and long-term impact on waterways and coastal areas around the world. When a spill occurs, oil rapidly spreads in the water thanks to currents and the wind. As it spreads, oil mixes with water and becomes sticky, clinging to helpless marine life unable to avoid its deadly pursuit. The environmental effects can have serious consequences for many marine populations. Oil can cause hypothermia and drowning of birds as the oil breaks down the insulating capabilities of their feathers, makes them heavier and compromises their flying ability. It can also cause hypothermia in seal pups and otters as the oil destroys their insulating fur. What's more, birds and other animals often ingest oil when trying to clean themselves which can poison them and create toxins in their immune systems. Birds that dive under water to catch food are most vulnerable to spilled oil since they spend most of their time sitting on the water between dives. In the Great Lakes, and in the shore waters of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, loons, grebes, and diving ducks such as long-tailed ducks, mergansers, and eiders are most affected by oil spills. Dabbling ducks including the American black ducks and mallards are often victims of oil spilled into the shallow coastal and inland waters of their habitats. Seabirds including puffins, shearwaters, razorbills, murres, and dovekies are frequently affected by offshore oil spills. These birds live mainly on open water, however; they can also become oiled in coastal waters since they come to coastal islands to breed. Oil spills can have more devastating effects on some bird populations than on others. Birds that lay several eggs are more likely to recover from deaths caused by oil spills than those that lay fewer eggs. The bottom line: the closer the spill occurs to the shoreline, the greater the ecological damage since coastal areas are home to more concentrated and diverse populations of marine life than at sea. Spills can also severely harm turtle eggs and damage fish larvae, causing deformities. Shellfish and corals are particularly at risk since they can't escape the runaway slick. Oil spills are also responsible for tainting algae, which perform a vital role in waterway ecosystems. If a spill isn't contained quickly, oil can lie beneath the surface of beaches and the sea, severely affecting marine organisms that burrow, such as crabs, for decades. Since these burrowing creatures are a food source for other animals, the cycle of poisoning can continue for many years.
source:
http://www.hoytsales.com/rocbarrier/effects_on_marine_life.htm
birds die because their feathers stick and cant move or fly, fish die of poisoning other marine mammals also die from movement impairment for being like glued to rocks.
How detergent works in oil spills?
It breaks up the oil and causes it to scatter more quickly, putting large quantities of detergent in to the can water can cause environmental and health problems
oil affects animals in many ways they might mutate or become poisoned or stuff like that
How many oil spills have happened?
four types as categorized by the EPA (plus non-petroleum, synthetic)
Class A Oil- Class A oil is light and fluid, spreads quickly when spilled and has a strong odor. Class A oil is the most toxic but least persistent of all oils. If the oil soaks into the soil, the effects will be long lasting. In water, class A oils disperse readily but affect aquatic life in the upper water column. Class A oils include high-quality light crude oils as well as refined products such as gasoline and jet fuel. Toxic components of gasoline include benzene, a known carcinogen, and hexane, which can damage nervous systems in humans and animals.
- Class B Oil
- Class B oils are known as "non-sticky" oils. They are less toxic than class A oils but more likely to adhere to surfaces. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they can cause long-term contamination. Lower-quality light crude oils and refined products such as kerosene and other heating oils fall into class B. Class B oils leave a film on surfaces, but the film will dilute and disperse if flushed vigorously with water. Class B oils are highly flammable and will burn longer than class A oils.
- Class C Oil
- Class C oils are heavy and sticky. While they do not spread as quickly or penetrate sand and soil as easily as lighter oils, class C oils adhere strongly to surfaces. Class C oil does not easily dilute and disperse, making it especially detrimental to wildlife, such as fur-bearing marine mammals and waterfowl. Because it produces such a sticky film, a class C oil spill can severely contaminate intertidal zones, leading to expensive, long-term cleanups. Class C oils include most types of crude oil and bunker B and bunker C fuel oils. Such oils are prone to forming lumps of oil or emulsions.
- Class D Oil
- Class D crude oil is solid and has the least toxicity. The biggest environmental concern posed by class D oil occurs if the oil is heated and hardens on a surface, making cleanup nearly impossible. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency points out that as the volatile components of some oils evaporate they may leave behind class D residues.
- Non-Petroleum Oil
- Synthetic oils and oils derived from plant or animal fats are regulated by the EPA because they cause contamination if released into the environment. Non-petroleum oils coat wildlife and can cause death due to suffocation or dehydration. Non-petroleum oils are slow to break down and easily penetrate soil, causing long-lasting damage to an affected area. Examples of non-petroleum oil products include cooking fats and synthetic oils.
Read more: Types of Oil Spills | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6593214_types-oil-spills.html#ixzz13XGv1nwB
copy-paste =) hope that helped
What You Can Do: It may seem like you cannot do anything to stop oil spills. But you can. If you see an oil spill, report it to the government as soon as possible. Less oil is used when people conserve energy by driving smaller cars, using public transportation or alternatively-fueled vehicles or other ways of travel, like walking and bicycling. Instead of dumping used car oil on the ground or down a sewer, people can take the oil to certain service stations to be disposed of properly or recycled. If you change you own oil in you car, make sure you place a container on the ground under the engine to catch any spills. An old cookie sheet works well. Also, people can conserve energy in their homes, too. If everyone used less oil, fewer tankers would sail the seas. This could reduce the risk of oil spills. we must go green!!!
How would an oil spill affect living things?
it is affecting animals such as sea gulls, killer whales, sea otter.
How often do oil rigs explode?
One a while not often depends what happens like a methane bubble can escape and explode or something like that there's other reason this happens it wasn't intentional if not agreed improve what I have stated
Hull fatigue in oil tankers, tankers breaking up in heavy seas,rust in pipelines.It is not possible to exsract oil out of the ground or frrom the sea bed without spilling at least some oil.Many major oil splills have been avoidable, by spending more money on maintainence and inspection of tankers and pipelines, as well as heeding weather warnings.
How has the oil spill affected us?
The Spill onto the Washington Mall rally grew out of the collective action taken against BP as a result of the explosion. First, we started boycott pages on Facebook. Then we took to the streets, gas stations, and beaches. After many of the boycott managers got to know each other, we thought that more needed to be done. The rally grew out of those conversations.
How is the wildlife in that area affected by the spilled oil?
The oil covers the animals and it will be hard for them to breathe because of the smell, the birds when covered by oil cannot fly easily and so might be eaten.
The oil also destroys the habitat of the animals
What body of water is affected by oil spill?
The Cody Sacry body of water which lies between the Indian ocean and The Atlantic ocean
What is the conclusion of Ocean Life and Oil Spills?
An oil spill can be defined as an accidental or deliberate dumping of oil or petroleum products into the ocean and its coastal waters, bays, and harbors, or onto land, or into rivers or lakes (Holum 1977). Between one and ten million metric tons (one metric ton is 1000 kilograms) of oil are put into the oceans every year. The oil is released, most often, in small yet consistent doses from tankers, industry, or on shore waste disposal (Boesh, Hersher, et al. 1974). Tanker spills cost the United States more than one hundred million dollars every year. Spill frequency increases proportionally with tonnage carried, in a linear manner. Non-tanker spills also increase linearly and account for thirty percent of all spills. The Atlantic area near Europe averages eight spills a year, the American area seven, and the Pacific two. Spills of more than ten thousand metric tons account for about two and a half percent of total spills, and spills above fifty thousand metric tons occur on average once a year
What are the top consumers of oil in the world?
The United States of America, by a fairly large margin (it being both the 3rd most populous country, and by far the largest economy).
However, China is rapidly gaining on its oil consumption. Per capita consumption in China is tiny compared to the US, but overall consumption is now a substantial fraction of the US's, and there is very possible that China may indeed pass the US at some point this century as the largest oil importer (as the US has at least a modest domestic supply, while China has virtually no domestic oil).
Are people being hired to clean oil spill?
Marine biologists, engineers, chemists, Coast Guard personnel, and many many volunteers for the labor intensive long term clean up.
One method is being used with some success where there are enough people and materials to sop up the oil in special mats and booms made of natural fibers, like hair. They are getting the fibers to the places and people to help in the clean up on the Gulf Catastrophe 2010.
You can help with this type of clean up, too. See the link in the related links section below for information about donations of natural fibers and hair to use in clean up. The web address will take you to the volunteer organization that is coordinating the donations of hair, wool, feathers, and nylons (hosiery), etc. to be used to help make barrier booms and to use in the clean up of beaches, birds, and animals that get oil soaked. The non-profit group will take money for buying the special netting they use in the construction of the booms, or your donations of that netting, too. You can have a "Boom B Q". A boom making party with a Bar B Q.
The site explains and shows how the fiber mats and booms work. It includes a link to a YouTube video on how to make the booms, too. They are a good way to recycle fibers and hair, and they can be reused, so they will provide help for now and with future problems.
Do oil spills cause disease to marine life?
yes very greatly first it covers the sea surface and reduce the supply of oxygen and sun rays, next it make water poisnous to aquatic plants and animals, it also effect on sea birds as the layer of oil stick on them and make them heavy because of which they become unable to fly and die.
On the morning of April 22, 2010 (two days after the blowout accident), CNN quoted Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashley Butler as saying that "oil was leaking from the rig at the rate of about 8,000 barrels of crude per day." That afternoon, as a large oil slick spread, Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael O'Berry used the same figure. Two remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) were sent down to attempt to cap the well, but had been unsuccessful. Butler warned of a leak of up to 700,000 US gallons of diesel fuel, and BP Vice President David Rainey termed the incident as being a potential "major spill."
