Gulf Oil Research Paper
Gulf Oil Spill
ENV/100
February 27, 2012
Norma Turner
Gulf Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The spill was the result of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig. When the rig exploded, it created a sea-floor gusher of oil that flowed freely for three months. It resulted in 11 people killed and 17 others injured. In addition to the injuries and loss of human life, there were detrimental impacts to the environment both long and short term. By the time the leak was capped, there had been 4.9 million barrels of crude oil released. The amount …show more content…
The main causes of damage in the spill were petroleum toxicity, oxygen depletion, and the use of Corexit dispersant. This type of damage to the ecosystem is the result of primary pollution. It is classified as a primary pollution because it was emitted directly into the ecosystem from an identifiable source.
Air pollution is also a factor in the spill. According to "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" (2011), “The amount of air pollutants in the atmospheric plume generated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was similar to a large city” This is also a primary pollutant. Once the hydrocarbons mix with sunlight, they will create ozone, which is a secondary pollutant. It is considered a secondary pollutant because it was produced in the atmosphere by a chemical and physical process from a primary pollutant (crude oil …show more content…
In this case, one of the main clean up procedures used was the application of a chemical dispersant. The chemical dispersant does not actually remove the oil, it breaks it down into small droplets. Another way to remove the oil from the water is by using skimmers. This is a process in which a machine siphons the oil off the top of the water. It is a difficult process because the longer the oil sits on the water the more the viscosity changes. Eventually the oil becomes too thin to siphon off the top and the skimmer takes on more water than
ENV/100
February 27, 2012
Norma Turner
Gulf Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The spill was the result of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig. When the rig exploded, it created a sea-floor gusher of oil that flowed freely for three months. It resulted in 11 people killed and 17 others injured. In addition to the injuries and loss of human life, there were detrimental impacts to the environment both long and short term. By the time the leak was capped, there had been 4.9 million barrels of crude oil released. The amount …show more content…
The main causes of damage in the spill were petroleum toxicity, oxygen depletion, and the use of Corexit dispersant. This type of damage to the ecosystem is the result of primary pollution. It is classified as a primary pollution because it was emitted directly into the ecosystem from an identifiable source.
Air pollution is also a factor in the spill. According to "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" (2011), “The amount of air pollutants in the atmospheric plume generated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was similar to a large city” This is also a primary pollutant. Once the hydrocarbons mix with sunlight, they will create ozone, which is a secondary pollutant. It is considered a secondary pollutant because it was produced in the atmosphere by a chemical and physical process from a primary pollutant (crude oil …show more content…
In this case, one of the main clean up procedures used was the application of a chemical dispersant. The chemical dispersant does not actually remove the oil, it breaks it down into small droplets. Another way to remove the oil from the water is by using skimmers. This is a process in which a machine siphons the oil off the top of the water. It is a difficult process because the longer the oil sits on the water the more the viscosity changes. Eventually the oil becomes too thin to siphon off the top and the skimmer takes on more water than