Know More About The Marine Oil Spill Pollution
Oil has been an essential aspect of our lives since the discovery of oil reserves in the Middle East. Every sector relies on it, much as humans rely on oxygen. Huge oil tankers are used to transport oil around the world due to demand, and oil is produced from the seabed. And as a result of these actions, there is an oil spill in the water.
Spills can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- People making mistakes or being irresponsible.
- Breakdown of equipment
- Hurricanes are examples of natural disasters.
- Terrorists, nations at war, vandals, and illegal dumpers have all undertaken purposeful acts.
What are the effects of an oil spill on the ocean?
Oil spills coat everything they come into contact with, causing environmental damage (beaches, coastal marshes, mangrove forests, wetlands).
- Oil covers and clings to every rock and grain of sand on a beach.
- Fibrous plants and grasses absorb oil if it washes into coastal marshes, mangrove forests, or other wetlands, causing harm to flora and making the area unsuitable for wildlife habitat.
- When oil stops floating on the surface of the water and sinks into the ocean, it can have comparable negative consequences for fragile underwater habitats, killing or polluting fish and smaller animals that are vital links in the global food chain.
Marine Mammals and Birds
Oil spills have the most conspicuous effects on marine birds and mammals. Oil is extremely hazardous since it affects the insulating properties of fur-bearing mammals like sea otters and the water-repelling abilities of a bird’s feathers, exposing these animals to the elements. When birds and animals try to clean themselves, they absorb (swallow) oil, which can poison them.
Whales and dolphins’ blowholes can become clogged with oil, making it impossible for them to breathe correctly. Even if marine mammals are escaped the immediate impacts of an oil spill, their food supply may be contaminated. Marine mammals that consume fish or other foods that have been exposed to an oil spill may be poisoned by the oil and die or suffer other consequences.
Fish
Fish, shellfish, and other marine life are all killed by oil spills. We may have to say goodbye to seafood if many fish eggs or larvae are exposed.
Habitat and breeding grounds for wildlife
One of the most far-reaching repercussions of oil spills is long-term damage to species, their habitats, and nesting or breeding grounds. Sea turtles must come ashore to lay their eggs, and they can be harmed by oil they come across in the water or on the beach where they lay their eggs. Oil can also damage their eggs, causing them to fail to develop properly, and newly hatched turtles can be oiled as they scurry toward the ocean across an oily beach.
Oil spills are becoming less common as a result of technical advancements and preventative measures, yet they still happen every year.
The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation’s Oil Tanker Spill Statistics Report will be useful in determining how much pollution we are generating.
Oil Spills from Oil Tankers are shown in the diagram below (1970-2019).
The Ten Largest Oil Spills
- During the Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers spill 252-336 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf on purpose.
- An explosion on the BP-contracted Transocean Ltd. Deepwater Horizon oil rig happens on April 20, 2010, spewing roughly 168 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
- Ixtoc 1, an exploration well off the coast of Mexico, breaks out on June 3, 1979, dumping 140 million gallons of oil into the Bay of Campeche.
- A Fergana Valley oil well in Uzbekistan breaks out, spilling 88 million gallons of oil on March 2, 1992.
- February 1983: An oil well in Iran’s Nowruz Oil Field begins to leak. A month later, an Iraqi air strike brings the total amount of oil spilled to over 80 million gallons.
- A Spanish tanker, the Castillo de Bellver, catches fire near Cape Town, South Africa, spilling about 78 million gallons of oil.
- The Amoco Cadiz tanker hits aground at Portsall, France, spilling almost 68 million gallons of oil on March 16, 1978.
- The Odyssey tanker breaks apart during a storm on November 10, 1988, spewing 43.1 million gallons of oil northeast of Newfoundland, Canada.
- The Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain tankers collide in Trinidad and Tobago on July 19, 1979. 42.7 million gallons of oil are spilled by the Atlantic Empress. While being towed away, the Atlantic Empress spills another 41.5 million gallons near Barbados on August 2.
- Production Well D-103 blows out, spilling 42 million gallons of oil southeast of Tripoli, Libya, on August 1, 1980.
More details can be found here:
Here’s some information on how to remove spilled oil with SopUpTM Coco Absorbant and the most recent article on The Oyster Edition: Oil Spill Disaster in The Sopup Coco Absorbant that might be of interest to you.
We hope you found this information to be beneficial!
If this is the case, you should look into Sopup Coco Absorbant Products; they may be truly fascinating.
