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OIL SPILLS and THEIR EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

OIL SPILLS and THEIR EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT. Instructor: Instr. Dr. Aysu Sagun Kentel Prepared by: Taylan Çetinkaya. Outline. Motivation Introduction Impact on the environment Clean-up Methods Exxon Valdez & Deepwater Horizon Oil Spills Conclusions References Recommended Reading.

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OIL SPILLS and THEIR EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

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  1. OIL SPILLS and THEIR EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT Instructor: Instr. Dr. Aysu Sagun Kentel Prepared by: Taylan Çetinkaya

  2. Outline • Motivation • Introduction • Impact on the environment • Clean-up Methods • Exxon Valdez & Deepwater Horizon Oil Spills • Conclusions • References • Recommended Reading

  3. Motivation • Recent Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (Deepwater Horizon or BP Oil Spill) • Nature of the disasters: Man-made • Size of the disasters • Technology in offshore oil platforms • Effects on natural balance

  4. Introduction Focus of the Project: Oil spills occurring in marine areas Oil spill: Release of liquid petroleum products into the rivers, seas or oceans by human related activities • Tanker accidents • Offshore oil platform accidents http://www.itopf.com/about/images/about_tasmanspirit_000.JPG http://www.japt.org/html/iinkai/drilling/guinees/Blowout-Rig2.jpg

  5. Introduction (cont.) • Tanker accidents: Running aground, collisions with other vessels, fires and explosions on the ship - Torrey Canyon spill (1967): 132.5 million liters of oil - Amoco Cadiz spill (1978): 260 million liters - Exxon Valdez spill (1989): 41.7 million liters • Offshore oil platform accidents: Fires/explosions on the platform, leakage from the wells located on the seafloor - Ixtoc I spill (1979): 530 million liters - Deepwater Horizon spill (2010): 780 million liters

  6. Impact on the Environment • Natural Environment • Short and long-term damages to the ecosystem • Social Environment • Suffering economy = suffering people • Damage to the recreational areas • Psychological effects • Built Environment • Loss of tankers & offshore oil platforms, fisheries

  7. Impact on the Environment (cont.) • Natural Environment: • Immediate death of species • Long –term effects: Reduced reproduction, years of recovery • Sea & soil pollution • Disrupted natural balance • Social Environment: • Loss of jobs, decreased incomes • Damage to recreational areas: Fishing, beaches, natural parks • Sorrow and depression • Built Environment: • Loss of tankers and offshore platforms

  8. Impact on the Environment (cont.) • Light oil: Remains on near surface, evaporates quickly, but highly lethal • Medium & heavy oil: lower water columns, long-term damage • Damage to habitat: Physical contact, ingestion, inhalation and absorption • Plankton, algae, fish eggs, and the larvae of invertebrates: base of food chain • Clogged blowholes of whales/dolphins: drowning • Oiled skin/fur/feathers: loss of insulation; hypothermia • Ingesting and inhaling oil: sudden death or internal organ damage • Immune system suppression: vulnerability to other diseases • !! Limited/impaired reproduction capability !!

  9. Clean-up Methods On the Water:On the Shores: Boom Bioremediation Burning Chemical Cleaning Dispersants Hot Water & High Pressure Skimming Manual Treatment Mechanical Treatment http://protecttheocean.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/c130oil.jpg http://www.coastalvitalityproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/iStock_000013436777XSmall.jpg

  10. Clean-up Methods (cont.) • On the use of dispersants: • To break off oil droplets from the slick to prevent re-coalesce • Standard usage: Oil ratio of 1:20 • Reduces the risk of contact • May remove natural oils on animal skins hypothermia • More dangerous for some species than the spill itself • Chemical may disrupt chemical balance of water • Disperses oil further spreading of oil into lower water column

  11. ExxonValezOilSpill • Caused by stranded oil tanker, Exxon Valdez in March 24 1989 in Alaska • 41.7 million of 200.9 million liters of crude oil spilled • Four people killed in cleanup efforts • Nearly 2100 km of shoreline affected • 28000 km2 of ocean affected • Two years of shoreline cleanup • Logistical problems encountered • Wide spreading due to storms http://www.sea-way.org/blog/ExxonValdez1.JPG

  12. ExxonValdezOilSpill (cont.) EconomicalImpact: • Recreational Fishing, Tourism, Existence Value, Wildlife Replacement & CareLosses • Estimated total loss of thestateandgovernment: Over $5 billion • Animalreplacement: Cost of $218 million in firstweekforonlyfourmainlyaffectedspecies : otters, seals, seabirds, eagles • Ongoingeffects • On thecompanyExxon: $4.3 billionforcleanup, residentcompensationandfines

  13. ExxonValdezOilSpill (cont.) EnvironmentalImpact: • 2800 otters, 302 harborseals, 250000 seabirds, 22 orcas, 247 eagles, billions of fishkilled • Reducedbreeding in variousspecies since thespill http://politicalclimate.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/prestige_oil_spill_victim.jpeg http://www.adn.com/evos/photos/evos29l.jpg

  14. DeepwaterHorizonOilSpill • Knownalso as Gulf of MexicoOilSpillor BP OilSpill • Causedbytheleakage of Macondowelldrilledby DeepwaterHorizonoffshoreoilrig; April 20, 2010 • Rigexplodedandsank - Continuousleakingfor 3 months -780 millionliters of oilspilled -1070 km of GulfMexicocoastline contaminated, 180000 km2 of ocean affected -11 workerskilled in theexplosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deepwater_Horizon_offshore_drilling_unit_on_fire_2010.jpg http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/0106-methane-study-gulf.jpg/9301481-1-eng-US/0106-METHANE-study-Gulf.JPG_full_600.jpg

  15. DeepwaterHorizonOilSpill (cont.) EconomicalImpact: • Recreationalandcommercialfishing, tourism, existencevalue, wildlifereplacement & carelosses: still not fullyknown • As of theend of 2010: Clean-upeffortscostingabout $40 billion • $5 billionpaidby BP toclaimantsandnearly $20 billiontoresponseefforts

  16. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (cont.) Environmental Impact: • Reported deaths 3 months after the accident: 997 birds, 400 sea turtles, 47 sea mammals • Corals, lobsters, crabs, oysters, clams, zooplankton, starfish and sand-dwelling organisms: likely to be affected for decades • Wetland vegetation: habitat for many species; long-term damage • Too recent to assess long-term damage

  17. Conclusions • Highest toxicity: Early in spill events Quick response • Clean-up efforts may also be harmful • Further developments on ship and oil platform designs • Further research on clean-up chemicals • Organized, trained response/clean-up personnel and volunteers • Environmental education • Corporates: Environment oriented rather than profit oriented

  18. References • http://gcaptain.com/historys-10-most-famous-oil-spills/?808 • http://alaska.fws.gov/media/unalaska/Oil%20Spill%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf • http://library.thinkquest.org/10867/cleanup/methods/index.shtml • http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/681_Chapter5.pdf • http://www.eoearth.org/article/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill?topic=58075#gen2 • http://useconomy.about.com/od/suppl1/p/Exxon_Valdez_Oil_Spill_Economic_Impact.htm • http://environment.about.com/od/petroleum/a/oil_spills_and_environment.htm • http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/sites/default/files/documents/FinalReportIntro.pdf • http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/10/19/f-bp-oil-spill-numbers.html • http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle800.do?categoryId=9036575&contentId=7067541 • http://www.eoearth.org/article/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill?topic=50364#gen30 • http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/a_deadly_toll.html

  19. Recommended Reading • OilSpillCommission http://www.oilspillcommission.gov • NationalOceanicandAtmospheric Administration http://www.noaa.gov

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