Impact of Oil Spills on Environment Essay

pollution through oil Transportation of oil by sea makes up a large part of the international distribution of oil, but in case of a spill, the effects on the marine ecosystem are devastating. While the demand for oil and the consumption is continually rising, the safety measurements currently in place are not enough to avoid major damage to marine ecosystems. One of the most devastating spills, the spilling of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska, still has enormous impacts on the…

Have you ever imagined your swimming pool filled with oil? The explosion happened back in 2010 but still impacting us today. The Deepwater Horizon was an offshore oil rig that initially was ignited and caught on fire, then soon after exploded. Approximately more than 200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico, for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S history. Affecting millions of people and the atmosphere, the Deepwater Horizon explosion was the…

The leaked oil spread over thousands of square miles across the Gulf of Mexico. Like the Exxon Valdez spill, dispersants were also pumped and spread over the leak to help break up the oil in the area. In May, oil began to contaminate beaches in Louisiana. Here it was manually removed, which proved to be very difficult in the marshes and estuaries. In June, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida beaches became affected by the oil. Total, around 1,100 miles of the coast was polluted, and three years…

(Skinner, S.K. and Reilly, W.K., 1989)[1] A catastropic event taken place on March 24th 1989 at Prince William Sound, Alaska. An Oil Tanker known as Exxon Valdez owned by Exxon Shipping company was transporting 53.09451 million US gallons of crude oil. At 12:04 am the ship struck the Prince William Sound, Bligh reef. This caused 10.8 million US gallons of crude oil to spill hereby creating a huge environmental disaster and it was known that the place was a habitat for sea otter, seals and sea…

Negative Environmental Effects Offshore oil drilling should not be carried on because it is too much of an environmental risk based on its’ harmful effect on marine ecosystems, climate, and coastal communities. First, offshore oil drilling should be stopped because it is a hazard to marine ecosystems. For example, “As of August 31, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon spill had killed 81 marine mammals, 5, 401 birds, and 553 sea turtles” (Mooney, 46). Oil spills kill thousands of birds and fish. The…

Should oil drilling be allowed off the coast of North Carolina? This question has sparked mass controversy not only in North Carolina but around the world. With population growth at an all-time high and demand for natural resources increasing rapidly, the race to energy security for our nation has escalated. In 2015, the Obama administration, declared the consideration of allowing offshore oil drilling off the coasts of Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The U.S Department of…

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not only ethically wrong but can also be very harmful to the environment and surrounding communities. The ANWR is a wildlife refuge in Alaska, it includes more than 19 acres of land and is very significant to the National Wildlife Refuge System (defenders.org). Drilling is ethically wrong in this area because it is one of America's last intact and untouched landscape and is home to 45 species of mammals, 42 fish species, and more than 200…

approximately 206 million gallons of oil was spilt in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mother Nature Network stated, “Gulf Oil Spill is the officially the largest oil spill in the world history”, (“Mother Nature Network”, Laura Moss). The Gulf Oil Spill started when oil went miles below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and it exploded. It caused BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig that it killed 11 people. The oil spread for more than 85 days and oiled 572 miles. Along the way, oil killed hundreds of birds and…

The Gulf oil spill has been recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The initial environmental impact was obvious, as the water was flooded with oil for 87 days. The surrounding wildlife and marine life coated in oil, and the waters thick with sludge as an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf. Years later, is the Gulf free of oil? We no longer see the discolored waters, and the animals covered in blackness, but the Gulf is still facing lasting challenges with long…

1) Massive Oil Pipeline Leak under North Dakota Farmer’s Field The North Dakota farmer found an oil spill the size of seven football fields during harvesting the wheat. The farmer said that the crude was bubbling up out of the ground when he found it and the crude can be smelled for days before the tires of the combines were coated in it. The damage of the pipeline causes the oil spewing and bubbling six inches high. It was one of the largest spills recorded in the stated which was equal to…