Oil Synthesis Essay

Background Information Oil is an organic fluid that has a lower density than water. When oil is spilled on water, it will float on the water surface and form a thin layer. Oil is not soluble in water. This thin layer of oil on the water surface is called sheen and it can kill the aquatic animals and plants that live beneath the water if it is not removed quickly. Photosynthesis uses solar radiation to change water and carbon dioxide into important nutrients that endure plant life. Therefore, plants and algae need consistent access to water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to undergo this essential process. Spilled oil floats on the surface of the water, blocking one of these important ingredients, sunlight, from reaching the plants within the body of water. Spilled oil may also directly coat the leaves of plants, where most of the work of photosynthesis occurs, reducing or blocking out sunlight. Without sunlight, plants lack the energy needed to do photosynthesis. Aquatic animals are also not spared by oil spills. They are affected through physical contact, inhalation, ingestion and absorption of oil. The oil also contaminates the algae, plankton, fish eggs and larvae that are food for the smaller fishes. …show more content…
It can also form tar mats and tar balls. The thickness of this remains can absorb more solar radiation and raise water temperature, which may slow photosynthesis. The effects of an oil spill are often important. The oil slick will eventually make its way to the shore. Tar balls can persist in the water for some time and can wash up on beaches and in wetlands hundreds of miles from a spill. Any plants in the spill's path will have reduced sunlight and water quality -- a reduction that stops photosynthesis. Also, even small amounts of residue from a spill can trail to plants and block their ability to get carbon dioxide, another vital ingredient in