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Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Research Paper

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Oil spills have an immensely negative impact on aquatic organisms, or marine life. An oil spill is the release of liquid petroleum into the environment. Oil spills can occur both in the ocean and on land. This is because the oil is transported in large quantities by ocean tankers. These spills can occur during loading, transportation, and unloading. It’s estimated that accidental oil spills from tankers and offshore rigs release about two hundred and fifty million gallons of oil into oceans per year. There are two categories oil spills can fall under, either point source pollution or nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution is when the the polluter is easily identifiable, whereas nonpoint source pollution there is not just one identifiable …show more content…

On March 24th, 1989 eleven million gallons of oil were spilled into the water, which affected about one thousand two hundred miles of shoreline of Prince William Sound, including other places in Alaska. The oil spill destroyed many coastal habitats, and had a serious effect on aquatic life and birds. At least one thousand otters were killed and thirty six thousand dead seabirds were recovered from beaches. However, the actual amount of seabirds killed was estimated to be in the range of one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand birds. On top of this at least one hundred and fifty three bald eagles were poisoned when they ate the remains of oil covered seabirds. “The sound's coastal ecosystem is permanently damaged. Thousands of gallons of Exxon Valdez oil still pollute the beaches; this oil is still toxic and still hurting the ecosystem near the shore. The government considers, as of 2010, only 13 of the 32 monitored wildlife populations, habitats and resource services that were injured in the spill as fully "recovered" or "very likely recovered." Some are still listed today as "not recovering"’ (Holleman). Of course, Exxon Valdez is not the only oil spill in history. The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is considered the worst accidental oil spill in history as of 2014. On April 20th, 2010 two hundred and ten million gallons of oil were released from a leaking pipe into the Gulf of Mexico, which covered about sixty eight thousand square miles of the Gulf waters. The spill went undiscovered for almost three months before it was finally sealed on July 15th, 2010. “The immediate impacts on the marine life, wetlands, ecosystems, organisms, and economies of several coastal states were severe. Coastal wetlands were covered with oil, destroying habitat used by animals such as sea turtles, which lay their eggs on

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However, the US federal judge stated that 4 million barrels seeped into the Gulf. BP had assured them that the oil had been accounted for. An oceanologist from the University of Georgia claimed that it is 1,200 square miles of sea floor that had been affected, BP had disputed that finding. Wildlife was affected as oil-soaked birds, fish, and turtles were washing up on shore. After the oil spill, it has been reported that Bottlenose dolphins were dying twice than the normal rate.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

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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1476 Words | 6 Pages

This was such the case during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Surfactants found in crude oil make it extremely difficult to remove from the water when there is a spill. This causes great harm to the animals and plants where the spill occured. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill, great harm was brought to the Prince William Sound area. After almost 30 years, this area is still being negatively affected by oil from this spill.

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Even though an oil spill is a terrible thing, it does open opportu-nities such as more jobs. For example, if there were to be an oil spill, it gives scientists a chance to use their remedies to clean it up, it gives people a job to clean up the oil, and jobs to clean up and care for injured animals during the process. Therefore, as long as oil is being spilled, it gives

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577 Words | 3 Pages

I can remember watching the news and seeing the clean-up of the oil spill. There were so many dead fish and animals that washed up on the beach along with big blobs of tar. There would be rescue workers trying to clean birds and other wildlife that had gotten coated in the oil. I can remember being so sad for the animals. Nursingschools.com state that since the oil spill was underwater it was much closer to the undersea life and able to cause damage much sooner.

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716 Words | 3 Pages

Nearly 11 million gallons of oil was spilled into the Gulf of Alaska. That’s as much as 125 Olympic-size swimming pools. Secondly, the Exxon Valdez oil spill covered 1,300 square miles, damaging many different ecosystems. The spill killed many animals, including 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 otters, and 300 harbor seals. It also killed 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and countless salmon and herring.

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1977 Words | 8 Pages

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: 27 Years Later Sachin Nair, Biologist, Ph.D. Anchorage, Alaska-- On March 24, 1989, the oil freighter Exxon Valdez entered Alaska's Prince William Sound, a sound off the Gulf of Alaska, after leaving the Valdez Marine Terminal filled with crude oil. At exactly 12:04 am, the oil tanker crashed into a reef, piercing the hull open and releasing 11 million gallons, 41 639 530 liters, of oil into the surrounding marine environment. Emergency responses by the oil company, Exxon, and the Alyeska Pipeline Company were very insufficient to contain much of the spill, while soon after, a storm blew in, spreading the oil vastly across 11,000 square miles of ocean water.

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Although there were measures that were put in place by Exxon to mitigate the impact of oil spill, the impact on ecosystem was evident. Proximity of the oil spill was a challenge to sea animals that struggled to survive. According researchers, some sea animals were trying to clean their bodies by licking themselves shortly after the spill. During the cleanup exercise, thousands of sea animals were soaked in the oil. The cleaning

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1770 Words | 8 Pages

Oil spill effect our environment, ecosystems, animals, and humans. Environmental effects are that animals are endangered by oil spills. For example, birds that dive into the ocean are then unable to fly because of their wings being covered in oil. Also, once birds, fish, or other marine mammals ingest the oil, it is poisonous to them and kills them. Oil has a thick consistency and chokes them.

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853 Words | 4 Pages

“ 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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933 Words | 4 Pages

“The spill also oiled more than a thousand miles of shoreline, including beaches and marshes, which took a substantial toll on the animals and plants found at the shoreline, including seagrass, beach mice, shorebirds and others,” (A Deadly Toll). The majority of people remember seeing photos and videos of volunteers cleaning up ducks, birds, and

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991 Words | 4 Pages

1. Introduction In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform spit nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest oil spill in history. The 1989 oil spill surpassed Exxon Valdez's oil spill in 1989 as the largest oil spill ever seen in US-controlled waters and the Ixtoc I oil spill of 1979 as the largest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon, an ultra-deepwater offshore rig, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 riggers and injuring 17 others.

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808 Words | 4 Pages

Pollution in the ocean is causing a high death rate. Pollution is toxic to all marine animals, even including birds. “Thousands of animals, from small finches to great white sharks, die grisly deaths from eating and getting caught in plastic.” This proves that pollution can affect any marine animal. “It’s estimated that 60 percent of all seabird

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Chris Woodford (Water Pollution: an Introduction 1) explains “Each year, the world generates perhaps 5–10 billion tons of industrial waste, much of which is pumped untreated into rivers, oceans, and other waterways.” Radioactive wastes and oil spills affect the wildlife living in these areas in great ways. In 1989, Exxon Valdez created one of the biggest oil spills in United States waters. Around 12 million gallons (44 million liters) of oil were released into the pristine wilderness, enough to fill your living room over 800 times. Around 1,000-28,000 sea

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