Gulf War Research Paper

The Gulf War oil spill caused a major change in the Persian Gulf habitat. With the spilling of oil in the Persian Gulf, it led to the unsafe habitat that it was in the early 90’s. The oils that were spilled in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War caused many animals that depended on the Persian Gulf to migrate due to the oil’s effect on the habitat. The problem behind the Gulf War oil spill is that it made the Persian Gulf an unsafe habitat for animals that depended on the gulf for food or for shelter. Another problem of the Gulf War oil spill is that it led to the expensive cleanup of the oi and the recuperation of Kuwait’s oil supply and economy.
The Gulf War oil spill’s source is from Kuwait, a country bordering the Persian Gulf. The oil …show more content…
The Gulf War oil spill occurred on the same year as when the Gulf War ended (late February, 1991).The Gulf War oil spill was a result of the Gulf War that was fought between the two main countries: Ba’athist Iraq (Iraqi Republic) and USA. The cause of the Gulf War oil spill was a retaliation maneuver by Iraq. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, a major oil exporter in the Middle East. Iraq was condemned for its occupation of Kuwait and was economically sanctioned.Iraq was demanded to leave Kuwait or face military consequences. Iraq was then forced to leave Kuwait after military contact with the United States of America Coalition. Because of this action, Iraq intentionally spilled 1,500,000 tons of crude oil (from Kuwait) into the Persian Gulf before leaving Kuwait. When reports of a huge oil spill in the Persian Gulf became apparent, Iraq claimed that it was caused by US’s recent bombings.After the US denied the false claim, it became clear that Iraq caused the oil spill. The reason behind of Iraq spilling oil into the Persian Gulf is that it was a wartime maneuver against the USA. The oil would make it difficult for US marines to land on the shore of Kuwait if the US ever tried to do an amphibious invasion on Kuwait or …show more content…
Because of the slow rate of research of the oil spill, its effects were not truly known until after tension between the US and Iraq ended. The reason why research on the oil spill in the Persian Gulf was so slow was because scientists were afraid to go and study it due to the war and the hostile tension between the two countries.An environmental repercussion of the Gulf War oil spill is that it caused many marine animals and animals that depended on the Persian Gulf to migrate. Those who couldn’t migrate were at a threat of dying. The reason is because crude oil is deadly to organisms. Crude oil can choke a marine organism, it can cause an animal to get stuck in it (and drown), and has chemicals that can be deadly to animals.The oil spill endangered the intertidal zones of the Persian Gulf, the mangrove forests, and the wildlife habitat of the area. The shallow water of the gulf provided feeding grounds for birds and nursery areas for marine organisms. With the endangerment of these habitats due to the lack of food (destroyed from the crude oil), it endangered the entire Persian Gulf.The oil spill approximately killed 30,000 water birds. The