Gulf Oil Spill
Gulf Oil Spill Paper
ENV/100
January 09, 2013
Gulf Oil Spill Paper
On April 20, 2010 an explosion on an oil rig in the gulf of Mexico killed 11 people but also unleashed “the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history”(Center for Biological Diversity). A study I came across when researching this disaster by the Center for Biological Diversity shows us the more than 82,000 birds, about 6,000 sea turtles, and nearly 26,000 other marine animals were harmed due to this oil spill. Not only were animals harmed, but about 2 million gallons of toxins were sprayed into the Gulf at this time which means the water was made even more toxic. Water does not only affect the animals living in it, I am sure you have heard of “the circle of life”, what effects them can also affect our air, our food, and plenty more until it circles around and directly effects on us human beings. In the following paragraphs of this paper I want to clue you in on everything this oil spill has affected and what we have done to change this.
For many of the animals during this spill, there really was nowhere else for them to go. The Gulf waters, and the way of life that they had before the oil spill, was all that they knew. They depended on the ecosystem in that area to live their lives, and the spill changed all of that. A lot of animals were making their way to the Gulf to reproduce, feed, and migrate just as the spill happened. In a disturbing report I found by scientists researching the spill, large numbers of sharks, fish, and other ocean animals were seen gathering in shallow waters close to shore. These were the only places left for them to find the oxygen levels that needed to live. “Marine animals can die when oxygen levels in the water drop below two parts per million — which was observed even in some inshore areas. Moreover, creatures congregating near the shore risked getting trapped between shore and the oil and depleting oxygen levels in even these refuge areas.” (Center for
ENV/100
January 09, 2013
Gulf Oil Spill Paper
On April 20, 2010 an explosion on an oil rig in the gulf of Mexico killed 11 people but also unleashed “the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history”(Center for Biological Diversity). A study I came across when researching this disaster by the Center for Biological Diversity shows us the more than 82,000 birds, about 6,000 sea turtles, and nearly 26,000 other marine animals were harmed due to this oil spill. Not only were animals harmed, but about 2 million gallons of toxins were sprayed into the Gulf at this time which means the water was made even more toxic. Water does not only affect the animals living in it, I am sure you have heard of “the circle of life”, what effects them can also affect our air, our food, and plenty more until it circles around and directly effects on us human beings. In the following paragraphs of this paper I want to clue you in on everything this oil spill has affected and what we have done to change this.
For many of the animals during this spill, there really was nowhere else for them to go. The Gulf waters, and the way of life that they had before the oil spill, was all that they knew. They depended on the ecosystem in that area to live their lives, and the spill changed all of that. A lot of animals were making their way to the Gulf to reproduce, feed, and migrate just as the spill happened. In a disturbing report I found by scientists researching the spill, large numbers of sharks, fish, and other ocean animals were seen gathering in shallow waters close to shore. These were the only places left for them to find the oxygen levels that needed to live. “Marine animals can die when oxygen levels in the water drop below two parts per million — which was observed even in some inshore areas. Moreover, creatures congregating near the shore risked getting trapped between shore and the oil and depleting oxygen levels in even these refuge areas.” (Center for
References: * About.com Economy issues http://environment.about.com/od/petroleum/a/oil_spills_and_environment.htm Written by Larry West * Center for Biological Diversity http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/index.html