Oil Spill Paper

Humans cause oil pollution. We put the boats and ships in the water, we build oil rigs and drill into the bottom of the ocean, and we dump the wrong chemicals into the ocean. Boats and ships have oil leaks just like our cars do. When we’re in the ocean, we can’t exactly clean it up with some limestone. If an oil pipe breaks, we can’t stop push a button and it stops flowing. The oil is coming from underneath the ocean so it takes us longer to stop it from flowing into the ocean. Some people don’t know, or don’t understand, that dumping the wrong chemicals can ruin our ocean and eventually, our land. Oil pollution hurts the marine environment. It is a poison to the wildlife. The oil can smother the animal, it can get in their digestive system and kill them, or it can even mess with their reproductive system and behavior. If oil were to get on the body or wings of a bird, it could make them drown because the oil is too heavy for them to fly. There are a few different ways to clean up an oil spill. Controlled burns can burn off the oil, but it’s not always a good option because the smoke harms our air. Booms and skimmer take oil off of the surface, but not below the surface. Water-oil separating devices help separate the oil from the water, but it can be pricey. Hay soaks up the oil, and leaves clean water behind. Natural recovery is the best way to clean up an oil spill. It may take a little bit longer to be fully cleaned, but it is the best way. Wave action, sunlight, natural water dispersion, and natural occurring microorganisms are the main ways oil spills can be cleaned up by natural means. Oil eating mushrooms is another way to decontaminated areas. This is known as mycoremediation, which is a term invented by Paul Stamets. Mushrooms secrete enzymes and acids that aid in the decomposition of difficult organism containments. Dr. Stamets’ treated soil with oyster mushrooms and then conducted an experiment that broke down almost all of the nontoxic