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Bp Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Case Study

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In 2010, BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Gulf Of Mexico, one of the biggest oil spills in the history, in which 4.2 million barrels of oil was cleaned up using bioremediation and by the use of chemical dispersants.In the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the slick covered 25,000 square miles. Billions of hydrocarbon-chewing microbes known as Alcanivorax borkumensis. These microbes ate up a lot of hydrocarbon molecules in the natural gas. Chemical dispersants were used to increase the surface area of the oil, the bacteria would break down and absorb both chemical dispersants and hydrocarbons. Initially, shrimp boats were used to collect oil, that wasn’t very effective. Then trawlers were used to pull oil away from the site, where it could …show more content…

In the initial phases of the oil spill, a heat-proof boom was placed around the area covering the oil. The boom enclosing the oil was pulled by two ships away from the site, where the oil was burned. Mechanical cleanup consisted of using a boom and using skimmers. A skimmer is a device which collects and removes oil from the surface of the water body. Dispersants were used but weren't really effective in cleaning up the oil, hence weren't used thereafter. 42 million litres of crude oil covered 1,990km of shoreline. It immediately affected the marine life, this included 2,000 sea otters, 302 harbor seals, and about 25,000 seabirds. These all creatures died within days of the oil spill. After the oil spill, additional animal deaths were caused. Salmon had an increased mortality rate for 4 years as oil had come in contact with incubating eggs. Larger animals were affected because their prey was contaminated, hence caused them illness and also death. Small fishes and marine animals died as they usually fed upon the planktonsand which were

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An example of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affecting the ecosystem is do to the pollution of the water, the death of fish, and the plants that died from the oil. The reason of the the oil spill is do to the pipe that was cut that contained the oil. Statistics show that the oil spill harmed and or killed approximately 82,000 birds of 102 species, 6,165 sea turtles, and up to 25,900 marine mammals, including bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, melon-headed whales and sperm whales. An incident that lead to the ecosystem collapsing was do to the oil rig having to cut the pipe that pumped the oil, which caused the oil to seep into the sand and the roots of the plants. A fact that shows that the ecosystem was affected is the death of all the animals.

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While fish and shellfish may not be affected immediately following the spill, the oil spreads through the water column, over time, which affects many fish and shellfish over a period of time. When exposed to oil, fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart respiration, fin erosion, and it could prevent any reproduction. The oil affects plants when it covers the plant, preventing the intake of sunlight, which leads to the process of photosynthesis coming to a halt. With many affects on the wildlife in or near a body of water with oil that has been spilled inside, cleanup is very

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Some of the animals such as the birds nest, crabs, and oysters, live here and survive off of the lands sediment. The oil hurt the animals, especially the mammals. If any of the mammals swallowed or inhaled the oil, they more than likely would have severe internal bleeding in their stomach or ulcers. The fish were also affected such as yellow fin tuna, sharks, etc. The oil affects them through surface exposure, ingestion, and absorption.

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The Oil Spill has stressed the earth and society of individuals in light of the fact that the Oil fix that executed 1,978 flying creatures, 463 ocean turtles and 59 marine warm blooded animals. Individuals couldn 't angle or eat ocean depths. “We are fighting the oil at every front” (qtd. Black James, chief operation commander at the center). Moreover, the sun made the oil turned into a bad dream to the earth in light of the fact that the sun blazed the Oil on the ocean.

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The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has affected the food chain because thousands animals have been dying because of a disaster that the human’s have caused. There are still pockets of oil in the bottom of the Gulf of

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Almost 250,000 sea birds, 22 whales, 2800 otters, and 300 harbor seals died due to the oil spill. After three years, the death of sea birds increased from 250,000 to approximately 435,000 (Charles H. Peterson, 2003,P. 2082). Moreover, the long and short terms effects, contributed to impact the commercial fishing, tourism and recreation. In reference to the commercial fishing, the Alaskan economy dropped due to the oil spill, especially the Alaskans rely on fishing as it considered being the main economic activity. What is more, Salmon and Herring are the two types of fishes the Alaskans depend on.

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Eventually, more than 1,000 miles of coastline were polluted, and hundreds of thousands of animals were killed. Exxon ended up

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Animals are affected as oil is toxic when ingested, marine mammals can suffer from hypothermia, fish can have genetic abnormalities and reproductive problems. , and birds will lose their ability to float or die. Also, oil spills are a waste of our natural resources. California, especially Santa Barbara county has a lot of oil to drill underneath. As Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director for the Center for Biological Diversity stated, “Oil spills are part of the ugly cost of fossil fuel development, made even worse by aging domestic infrastructure.”

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Also known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the BP Oil Disaster, the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, or the Macondo Blowout. BP was mostly at fault, but Transocean, the rig operator, and Halliburton, the contractor, had some culpability as well. This oil spill was the worst in US history and could be seen from space. The United States Government estimated that it was approximately 4.9 million barrels (210 million gallons) that poured into the ocean. To this day, researchers and scientists are gathering data to try and understand the oil spill and the impact it’s had on the Gulf coast, it’s communities and marine life.

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“ About 2,000 sea otters, 302 harbor seals and about 250,000 seabirds died in the days immediately following the spill.” (Vleet para 12) “The Exxon Mobil corporation divided work on the spill was into three phases: response, damage assessment and restoration. “ (Vleet para 16). “Three federal and three state Trustees were made responsible for administering the restoration fund and restoring injured resources and services.”

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I have referred to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in order to answer this question. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is also referred to as the BP oil spill, the BP oil disaster, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, & the Macondo Blowout. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill started on the 20th of April 2010 & finally ended on the 15th of July 2010. British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, which led to the deaths of 11 workers and the spillage of 210 Million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig was situated in the Macondo oil prospect in the Mississippi Canyon which is located in the Gulf of Mexico, and is approximately 41 miles (66 km) off the coast of Louisiana.

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While the oil that we get from the ocean is widely used, it does not mean that it is good or is extracted in a good way. Offshore oil drilling has had negative impacts on marine ecosystems and should stop being built. In 2010, a massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico spread throughout the water and injured more than 100,000 animals. Many protected species began to perish because of the toll the oil took on the creatures.

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Firstly, many people were affected by the effects of the oil spill. There are a list of harmful chemicals and conditions associated with the oil spill which put those who took the effort to clean it up, and those in the surroundings at great risk. More than anyone, the workers that helped to clean up the mess were most affected. With the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico now in its sixth week, reports of clean-up workers falling ill are on the rise.

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This caused a pressurized flow of oil through the Gulf of Mexico floor causing clean water with many plants an animals in it to become threatened by the chemicals. (Source 5)The chemicals and sand being left under the surface

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Oil is the fastest source of decline to the ocean, being far more harmful than trash and waste. But, only a slight percentage of oil, around 12%, that’s dumped in the ocean is a result of actual oil spills (5.). A big source of pollution in the oceans is coming from land based sources, such as dirt, septic tanks, farms, ranches, motor vehicles, and among larger sources (5.). Pollution of plastic, waste, oils, and trash are not only affecting the ocean, but it’s affecting the ocean life as

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