May 06, 2011 impacts of offshore oil spills on the environment, human health and economy. The consequences of oil spills are more severe in aquatic ecosystem. Cumulatively over the course of the spill, oil was detected on over 43,300 square miles of the ocean, an area about the size of virginia. The consequences of oil spills are usually evaluated in terms of environmental damage, effects on marine. When the oil is spilled, the water does not mix with oil thus creating a sheen of oil floating on the water. Filter by topic agriculture, forestry and food business animal welfare brexit children and young people communities constitution covid19 culture economy education energy environment equality and human rights finance health and care services housing local government marine and fisheries planning social care transport welsh language data. Effects of oil spills on fish production in the niger delta. Environmental impact assessment procedure for oil pollution in the. National oil spill contingency plan noscp which concerns oils spills and the notification of spills, releases and other incidents.
Environmental impact of the deepwater horizon oil spill. Jun 01, 2002 oil contamination may persist in the marine environment for many years after an oil spill and, in exceptional cases such as salt marshes and mangrove swamps, the effects may be measurable for decades after the event. Generic environmental impact statement on the oil, gas and. In his statement of march 30, the president described the exxon valdez oil spill as an environmental tragedy. According to carla 2000 oil spills are the uncontrolled discharge of oil or its by products including chemicals and wastes, into the environment. They mobilize large numbers of emergency responders to clean up the oil, typically involving a large manual effort. Options for minimizing environmental impacts of freshwater. Over the course of 87 days, the damaged macondo wellhead, a part of. Environmental justice and the bp deepwater horizon oil spill.
Studies on the impact of oil spills on fish production are becoming increasing important, not only because it provides the basis for understanding the reprehensible activities of oil exploration but uncovers the ideological and intellectual perspective of the relationship between oil spills and environmental degradation, 14, 15. However, this trend was altered dramatically by the 2010 deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico. Both the spill and the cleanup efforts had effects on the environment. They interfere with functioning of various organ systems of plants and animals.
Sea plants are very important for the survival of marine animals. In general, spilled oil can affect animals and plants in two ways. Impacts of oil spills university of texas at austin. S coast guard is primarily responsible for cleaning up oil spills, while noaa experts provide scientific support to make smart decisions that protect people and the environment. Both public and private research are needed to improve cleanup technology. In a sense, each spill is unique and unrepeatable because of the practically unlimited possible combination of natural and anthropogenic factors at a given location and. Chapter five discusses in greater detail how oil spills impact wildlife. To identify the presence of total petroleum hydrocarbon tph in the environment soil, water. A scientific appraisal of typical oil spill effects reveals that, while damage occurs and can be profound at the level of individual organisms, populations are more resilient. In some cases, nonpetroleum oil spills can produce more harmful effects than petroleum oil spills. Oil spills have raised environmental concerns for decades.
Oil spills national oceanic and atmospheric administration. Factors such as oil biodegradation, ocean currents and response measures dispersants, burning reduced coastal o. Horizon oil spill, which submitted 316 pages on these issues to the national commission on the bp deepwater horizon oil spill and offshore drilling. The most publicised of all oil spills in nigeria occurred on january 17 1980 when a total of 37. Although numerous oil spills have impacted the world, this study focuses on two oil spills in the gulf of mexico, the ixtoc i oil spill 1979 and the deepwater horizon oil spill 2010 dwh, and the exxon valdez oil spill in alaska 1989. Petroleum contamination is a growing environmental concern that harms both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Currents, winds, and tides carried these surface oil slicks to the gulf states, fouling 1,300 miles of. The most apparent effect of oil spills is the impact they have on the water itself. Prince william sound is a region rich in biological diversity, and.
Environmental impacts oil spills can affect animals and plants in two ways. Potential environmental impacts of oil spills in greenland author. Scientists are also developing new ways to determine how exposure to disasters, such as oil spills, impacts the physical and mental health of communities. For example, models can help predict trajectories of oil spills abascal 2009, brostrom et al. Summary of information concerning the ecological and. The oil spill itself, disaster management, the physical marine environment, marine biology, human health and society, economy, and policy are key factors or variables that influence the impact of an oil spill. Document the array of midrange effects of the macondo well blowout and aftermath data collection.
Heavy oils may affect several organism functions like respiration, feeding, and. Oil spill, oil degradation, oil spill impacts, greenland created date. Oil spills can impact wildlife directly through three primary. Social impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill on coastal communities along the u. The american petroleum institute api and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa jointly developed this guide as a tool for contingency planners and. When trying to understand how the oil spill affected. When an oil spill happens there will be no entry of oxygen in the sea. This spill occurred as a result of a blow out at funiwa 5 offshore station. There are different equipment and tactics that trained experts can use to contain or remove oil from the environment when a spill occurs. Oil pollution occurs when crude oil and its refined products are spilled into the environment by the activities of man.
Effects of oil on wildlife and habitat us fish and wildlife service. Potential environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry source. The deepwater horizon dwh oil spill was the largest environmental disaster. Pdf legal consequences of major oil spills dominic e. Wildlife to oil spills the vulnerability of various species of wildlife to an offshore oil spill changes as time since the spill increases. This is because marine oil spills can have a serious economic impact on coastal activities, as well as on those who exploit the resources of the sea. Oil spills show one of the most complex and dynamic patterns of pollutant distribution and impact in the marine environment.
Consequently, the effects of oil pollution are sufficiently well understood to allow for broad indications of the scale and duration of damage for a given incident. The environmental impact of oil spills has been extensively researched over the past 30 years and a considerable amount has been learnt about the nature and duration of such effects. Note in particular the environmental management act 2000 and oil pollution of territorial waters act 1951. Much oil spread at 11000m depth, contaminating and affecting deepwater habitats. Many species of wildlife, including some that are threatened or endangered, live along the gulf coast and could be impacted by the spill. Feb 23, 2021 the 2010 bp oil spill was the biggest oil spill in u. Ecological impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill. Because they have toxic properties and produce harmful physical effects, spills of nonpetroleum oils also pose threats to public health and the environment. The spill was by far the largest in us history, almost 20 times greater than the usual estimate of the exxon valdez oil spill. The international tanker owners pollution federation ltd 1999. Second, the articles examination of laws role in structuring.
Response capabilities must be enhanced to reduce environmental risk. An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the. Species that spend time at the surface of the water will be impacted most during the early stages of the spill. The kuwait war oil spill this is the worlds largest manmade oil spill and the only one in recent times resulting from the deliberate actions of the people who caused it. Potential environmental impacts of oil spills in greenland. Oil spill response policies to bridge the perception gap. The framework used for environmental impact assessment for oil pollution in the very complex and highly sensitive environment of the dutch wadden sea is. To determine the environmental impact of oil spill on land and water within the study area. Oil spill pollution and its effects an oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. An ecosystem services approach to assessing the impacts of the.
As a result, our predictive capability is probably better for oil spills than for many other types of marine pollutant. Longterm environmental impact of oil spills sciencedirect. Depending on the magnitude of the spill and its location, the effects can vary, ranging from minimal to serious ones. The individual level, or how oil spills may impact a single living thing like a fish. Between 1976 and 1996 a total of 4647 incidents resulted in the spill of approximately 2,369,470 barrels of oil into the environment. From the point of view of impacts on marine mammals, the exxon valdez spill occurred at about the worst possible.
The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters. Wildlife recovery, cleaning, and rehabilitation is often an important part of oil spill response. Understanding oil spills and oil spill response pdf us epa. However wildlife is difficult to find and catch, oil spills can happen over wide areas, and some animals like whales are too big to recover. Pdf on 20 th april, 2010, deepwater horizon oil spill occurred at the gulf of mexico, united states of america where large amount of oil. Vast areas of the gulf of mexico were contaminated with oil, including deepocean communities and over 1,600 kilometers of shoreline. For instance, oil spills can have a major impact on the temporary animal and fish loss of habitat. Scientists documented shortterm mental health impacts, but the longterm impacts have been harder to identify. Learn about the event and its ongoing environmental and economic impact. Oil spills can cause impacts over a range of time scales, from days to years, or. Oil spills maybe due to release of crude oil, off shore platforms, drilling rigs, and wells as well as spills of refined petroleum products.
Our results are both similar to and different from patten 1992, who studies disclosure changes in response to the exxon valdez oil spill and finds an increase in a composite environmental. Impacts the environmental impact of oil spills has been extensively researched over the past 30 years and a considerable amount has been learnt about the nature and duration of such effects. Environmental effects of the deepwater horizon oil spill. Harmful effects of oil spills on diverse flora and fauna species have been extensively studied. Impacts and management of oil spill pollution along the.
However, in most cases, environmental recovery is relatively swift and is complete within 210 years. To identify the health implications of oil spill on the residents. To identify the major causes of oil spill within the study area. Both the spill and the cleanup efforts had effects on the environment the oil spill was called the worst environmental disaster the us. The environmental effects and recovery time from oil discharges depend on in which season the release occurs, where the oil is released, and the type of oil and its volume lindgren et al. Oil spills even small onesare difficult to clean up. The oil spill was called the worst environmental disaster the us has faced by white house energy adviser carol browner. Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the prestige oil. Oct 03, 2018 oil spills are disastrous for the environment, to the economy, and to society in general. In addition, between 1997 and 2001, nigeria also recorded a total number of 2,097 oil spill incidents. Furthermore, beyond these toxic effects, oil spills have the ability to inflict harm on. Nov 21, 2011 the deepwater horizon dwh oil spill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in u. The framework can be used to clarify the complexity of oil spill impacts. Oil spills can cause impacts over a range of time scales, from days to years, or even decades for certain spills.
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment especially marine areas, due to human activity and is the form of pollution. The population level, or how oil spills may impact a group of living things of the same species. Short and longterm health impacts of marine and terrestrial oil spills. Review on the effects of exposure to spilled oils on human.
Effects of oil spills on marine and coastal wildlife1 edis. Pdf environmental implications of oil spills from shipping. The presence of people and machinery will add to the stress put on animals by contact with oil and degradation of habitats. Donohoe, california department of fish and wildlife, office of spill prevention and response. When oil spill occurs, the oil being less dencse than water floats. Despite this, spill experts estimate that 30%50% of oil spills are either directly or indirectly caused by human error, with 20%40% of all spills caused by equipment failure or malfunction.
Effects of oil spills on marine and coastal wildlife. Beaches, marshlands, and fragile aquatic ecosystems. When an oil spill occurs, many elements of the environment may be affected. All types of oil share chemical and physical properties that produce similar effects on the environment.
Oil spills can have disastrous social, economical, and environmental consequences. Social effects of the deepwater horizon oil spill on. Pdf impact of oil spills on marine life semantic scholar. This study examines oil spill as a major environmental problem that affects fish production in the niger delta drawing from econometric techniques of the cobbdouglas production form to ascertain a statistical relationship and suggest possible policy implications for a sustainable economic environment for fish production.
Understanding both types of impacts can help spill responders minimize overall impacts to ecological communities and help them to recover much more quickly. Once the oil begins to wash ashore, species that forage and nest along the shoreline are. Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the prestige. However, the public and regulatory and scientific communities have given more attention to the contamination of marine habitats. As the gulf of mexico recovers from the deepwater horizon oil spill, natural resource managers face. Unfortunately, its unrealistic to rescue all wildlife impacted during oil spills. The deepwater horizon oil spill constituted an ecosystemlevel injury in the northern gulf of mexico. Accidents that impact the environment, such as large oil spills, leaks, fires and explosions on plants. The incident has both shortterm and longterm implications. The 2010 deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico has been described as the worst environmental disaster in the united states, releasing about 4. Estimates vary, but the average considers that a minimum of 350 million gallons to a maximum of 560 million gallons of oil were discharged into the persian gulf. Ecological impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill sage journals. Over the past two decades, the annual number and volume of oil spills have shown declinesin some cases, dramatic declines.
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