by Alex Lee, Joseph De La Riva, and Henry Lee
The concept of offshore drilling to tap the planet’s natural resources can be both very beneficial, and potentially dangerous at the same time. It allows for exponential wealth and an increase of resources that the world’s population is now dependent on. At the same time, its potential danger is frightening, and its potential danger took center stage as the Deepwater Horizon Rig, which
was owned by the BP Oil Company, forcefully spilled oil forty-two miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. On the morning of April 20, 2010, methane gas from a leaking pipe seeped into the drilling riser where it ignited and engulfed the rig itself. Beginning April 20, 2010, the Deep Horizon Rig began to leak an enumerable amount of oil and gas resulting in the explosion and sinking of the rig.[1] Immediately, oil began to spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It took eighty-seven days to cap the well that was leaking crude oil and gas; an estimated one hundred and thirty gallons infiltrated the ocean water creating an oil slick on the surface, and another significant amount fell to the ocean floor or pelagic zone.[2]
Its effects on the area were, and continue to be, substantial. The Gulf of Mexico is a very biologically diverse area, meaning the oil spill damaged numerous biotic and abiotic characteristics that construct the environment. The oil slick spread from the coastal shores of Texas down near the southern coast of Florida, covering approximately, seventy-five thousand square kilometers.[3] Ecological damage was imminent and wildlife fatalities were an incredibly frightening reality. There were immediate impacts of the oil spill in the adjacent area. The oil slick made the lives of the aquatic animals very difficult to swim, eat, and ultimately, live. The effects are greater than the oiled birds, fishes, and mammals seen on the media. Marine life has seen a significant increase in mortality rate in all trophic levels.[4] Besides an increase of mortality rate among bottle nosed dolphins, sperm whales, phytoplankton and the damaging of coral reefs because of the oil’s toxicity, possibly the most crucial factor the oil has damaged is the interruption of the food web in the Gulf of Mexico. All organisms contribute a specific element towards the sanctity of any given ecosystem, and once one species is effected, a domino effect occurs affecting the productivity of the entire ecosystem. For example, let us analyze the underwater sea-grass meadowland, which is home for many commercial and migratory fish[5]. When oil enters the lower trophic levels and seeps into the roots of the mile long grass along the coast, it impedes, and ultimately, stops the growth and regrowth of sea-grass meadowland. When the sea-grass meadowland is damaged, not only is that species effected, but so are all the other species that are dependent on that species to function daily. The commercial fishes that reside in the affected sea-marshes account for 2.4 billion dollars annually.[6] So now the oil is not only effecting the marine food web, but the human beings’ livelihood that depend on the functionality and prosperity of the food web. The food web’s functionality is dependent on the egalitarian contributions of each inhabited compartment; therefore, when even the slightest alteration is made, a lasting effect appears. The BP oil spill is only further contributing to the damaged marine life throughout every ocean.
The BP oil spill is a disaster that shook the Gulf of Mexico, and its effect will be felt for many years to come.Despite the combined efforts to restore local ecosystems, the damage is likely irreversible, as can be seen with similar disasters in the past. Over twenty years ago, a storage tank on the Exxon Valdez was damaged, spilling oil into the reefs of Panama. Twenty years before that, the barge Florida dumped oil off of the coast of Cape Cod. Traces of the pollution in forms of puddles and stench remain evident in both ecosystems to this day[7]. Even when the oil may not be visible in an ecosystem anymore, the toxic hydrocarbons in the oil can make its way into an ecosystem and cause adverse effects among many species in the area. The effect on animals especially is immediately apparent; merely 4 months after the spill began, more than 7,000 sea turtles, dolphins, and birds have been found dead or incapacitated in the area[8]. The location of the BP spill is especially problematic; one of the factors that help to contain pollution, as calm weather will keep the sludge in one location, creating an easier job of cleaning it up. However, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico will cause the oil to move about quickly, and this is only exacerbated by hurricane season. According to marine biologist Héctor Guzmán, once oil spills have permeated throughout an ocean ecosystem, removing it mechanically is the only way to extract it completely, yet this will completely destroy the habitat[7]. Thus, an oil spill's damage is permanent, and the only thing we can do about it is to prevent more oil spills. Yet, even if large scalel oil spills were completely stopped, the BP oil spill's 4 million gallons of water is insignificant when compared to the 78 million gallons on average that leak into the ocean via daily spillage and seeping[7], suggesting that, as long as oil is used as a major source of fuel, our marine ecosystems will still be endangered on a global scale.
While the spill certainly caused great harm to the waters of the Gulf, the effects could have potentially been much more devastating. Luckily, the response team was very quick to act, leading to a great majority of the oil being dealt with via evaporation, burned, or other means[9]. Several organisations like the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have come together to repair the damages as well as save wildlife and study its impacts[10]. Part of this is due to the innovative use of NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR). While radar has always been used to detect the spread of oil spills, NASA’s UAVSAR was used for the BP oil spill to detect the characteristics of oil in a spill, using changes in the surface and electrical conductivity to identify the less harmful thin oil sheens and the much more dangerous thick oil emulsions. According to Cathleen Jones, researcher for the Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech, by automating the classification of oil, UASVAR can lessen the effects of future oil spills greatly by helping to direct cleanup operations and locating the most damaging thick oil. As technology develops, more methods of controlling oil slicks may be discovered and applied to potentially mitigate their harm on the environment[11]. Additionally, improvements in shipping methods have caused the number of oil spills to have decreased exponentially over the past few decades[12]. However, any oil that makes its way into the oceans will still likely cause some degree of harm, and attempting to prevent oil pollution in its entirety is currently impossible. The only way to solve this issue forever is to switch to alternate sources of energy. Advances are currently being made towards types of alternate fuel such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric. Unfortunately, there are several issues that prevent these energy types from being implemented as widespread as the likes of oil, such as high cost, difficult maintenance, or inconvenience[13]. Some of them even cause their own negative impacts for the environment, such as hydropower affecting marine life. The only real solution currently is to create more effective methods of containing oil pollutants while we continue to conduct research on how to implement cleaner energy sources.
The BP oil spill is a disaster that our planet will likely not be able to recover from for decades, if ever. Sadly, it is only one example of how the use of oil has adverse effects on the world's natural ecosystems. Oil continues to leak into our ocean, despite the number of large-scale oil spills having gone down over the past few decades[12]. Unfortunately, these issues are extremely unlikely to change in the near future; the only real solution is to stop using oil, which will not happen unless an alternative that is just as inexpensive and plentiful is found, or all the oil on Earth becomes exhausted. As our planet’s oil supply is limited, so once it is depleted, humanity will be forced to make the complete transition to other energy sources. Even major oil companies like Royal Dutch Shell stress the need to move away from oil, saying that at least one third of the world’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2050 [13]. However, at the current rate that oil is destroying local ecosystems, the environment may be decimated by the time a complete transition is made. This current oil conundrum serves as a reminder of how massive our footprint is on our world, and we need to make a greater effort to coexist with natural ecosystems rather than destroy them and the species living within. The scars that crude oil has left on our planet’s ecosystems will likely never heal, so the only thing that humanity can take from this is to limit the damage as best as we can while searching for ways to implement clean and renewable energy.
[1] The Ocean Portal Team, “Gulf Oil Spill.” Published June 2, 2010 http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill
[Image #1] “Cumulative BP / Deepwater Horizon oil slick footprint.” Analysis by SkyTruth. Image NASA. © 2010 Google © Europa Technologies http://www.eoearth.org/files/136901_137000/136933/skytruth_cumulative_bp_spill_skytruth.jpg
[2] Cleveland, Cutler J, “Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” Published December 5, 2010 http://www.wired.com/2010/05/gulf-tipping/
[Image#2]”Oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico impacts the coast at Pass a Loutre, La.” Picture by Office of the Governor of the State of Louisiana, June 2 2010
[3] The Ocean Portal Team, “Gulf Oil Spill.” Published June 2, 2010 http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill
[4] Biello, David, The BP Spill’s Growing Toll on the Sea Life of the Gulf.” Published May 14, 2010 http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2284
[5] Keim, Brandon, “Gulf Coast May Be Permanently Changed By Oil Spill.” Published May 5, 2010 http://www.wired.com/2010/05/gulf-tipping/
[6] Keim, Brandon, “Gulf Coast May Be Permanently Changed By Oil Spill.” Published May 5, 2010 http://www.wired.com/2010/05/gulf-tipping/
[7]David Biello, “How Long Will the Gulf of Mexico Spill Last?” Published May 14 2010 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-long-will-oil-spill-last/
[8] Haeyoun Park, Xaquin G.V., Graham Roberts, Erin Aigner, Shan Carter and Kevin Quealy, “The Oil’s Effects on Wildlife,” The New York Times, Last modified August 16, 2010
[Image #3]”Effects on Wildlife” The New York Times, 2010
[9]”Federal Science Report Details Fate of Oil from BP Spill,” Published August 4, 2010
[Image #4]”Deepwater Horizon Oil Budget”Image NOAA © 2010
[10]”After the Oil Spill: Research Projects in the Gulf of Mexico with GoMRI” http://ocean.si.edu/slideshow/after-oil-spill-research-projects-gulf-mexico-gomri
[11]Alan Buis, “NASARadar Penetrates Thick, Thin of Gulf Oil Spill,” Published October 25, 2012 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-337
[12]Gail Tverberg, “Research Reports on the Economic and Environmental Impact of Oil Spills.” Published July 7, 2010
[13]”Alternate Energy,” Published March 2, 2015 http://www.altenergy.org/
[Image #5] “View (courtesy of NASA) of the spill from space” EcoToad: The Big Spill, Image NASA © 2010
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