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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Research Paper
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Research Paper
The Deep-water Horizon Oil Spill and its effect on the Kemps
Ridley Sea Turtle
On February the fifteenth, the Deep-water Horizon drilling rig began in the
Macondo Prospect, oil and gas prospect located on the Mississippi Canyon
block, offshore Louisiana. According to plan, the well was to conduct the drilling
up to eighteen thousand feet below sea level, and was to be suspended for
completion as a subsea producer.
A few days later (April the twentieth), the company cancels a recommended
cement bond log test to revise the proper cement placement that prevents fluid
from leaking to the surface. Consequently, BP saved an approximate of twelve
hours and one hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars. However, the night of
this day was surprised with a rig shaking shock caused by the lack of cement
between the production and protection. Because of this, the rise of oil, methane
gas and concrete up to the wellbore was generated, causing the ignition of these
that derived in an explosion onto the deck where the complex caught fire. As a
result, eleven deaths where caused, seventeen workers were injured and ninetyeight others survived.
The oil spilled also affected the food chain since it entered it through
zooplankton, scientifically known as the base of many marine food chains, and
originated toxic effects to animals that consume it, consequently causing
difficulties when continuing with their functions.
Because of what is explained above, the oil spill did not only pollute the water
and the coastal areas, but it interrupted the ecosystems balance since it
displaced many species of plants and animals.
Toxins like propane and ethane released by the oil spill were trapped in the deep
water causing the death of fish because of cardiac arrest. Added to this problem,
the chemical dispersants known to cause mutations, used in the clearing of the
oil caused physical deformities in fish, shrimp and dolphins such as the lack of
eyes, lesions and oozing sored. Note that before the oil spill only 0.1% of marine
species had suffered physical abnormalities.
Another aspect that negatively affected marine wildlife was the levels of methane
released in the spill event. The oceanographer John Kessler, a professor of Earth
and Environmental Sciences in the University of Rochester, calculated that the oil
released in the spill was 40% methane (an extremely large quantity when
compared to the 5% found in typical deposits.) The problem relies in the fact that
this green house gas has the potential to asphyxiate marine species and create a
dead zone were there is a low level of oxygen and no reproduction of species
than can ultimately produce a type of biological dessert.
Half a year after the spill one thousand sixty-six sea turtles were found in the
area affected by the event and of these more than four hundred and fifty showed
oiling signs in their body.
Sea turtles are at a greater risk when compared to other marine species because
studies have revealed that they do not avoid oil slicks as an instinct and that
causes them to be more prone to oil pollution and toxicity. Another concerning
fact is that this specie may mistake tar balls for food and sometimes directly
consume the oil, causing health problems and lethal consequences such as
irritation of the skin, pneumonia, bleeding, ulcers, degradation of their immune
system and most concerning of all, failure in reproduction.
Sea turtle hatchlings are also seriously affected by the spill since they entail a
series of processes when they are born. Fist, they are born on beaches covered
by oil and as a consequence can suffer exposure to it. Also, the newly born
turtles need to find refugee, specifically in Sargassum (a type of seaweed) and
since it is covered by oil, their habitat in the open ocean is put at risk causing
them to front the ocean and consequently interact directly with the oil spilled.
Finally, environments such as the mats of Sargassum seaweed, the sea grass
beds and coral reefs that were contaminated by oil as well as the decrease of
Prairies and invertebrate populations reduce the species available food supply
and therefore menace their survival.
Effect on Kemp Ridley sea turtles
Being the greater endangered and smallest sea turtle in the world as well as a
member of the Endangered Species Act since 1973, Kemps Ridley turtles were
the most affected by the event. Of the total average of six hundred turtles that
were found dead due to the spill, five hundred of them were Kemps Ridley sea
turtles.
These turtles have a nesting procession called arribadas that consists of
females taking over large portions of beaches while carrying their bodies through
the sand until discovering a spot to lay their eggs. These take place in the
Rancho Nuevo area in Tamaulipas, Mexico just near the south border of Texas
with the Gulf of Mexico. Also, its occasionally produced in other parts of Mexico,
Texas, Alabama and Florida.
Recent studies have shown that in the United States, the female Kemps turtles
that nest their eggs along the Texan coast usually migrate east towards
Louisianas coast, specifically into the delta (landform that forms at the mouth of
a river) of the Mississippi River where they can find sufficient food to feed
themselves for months. When they arrive to this location they opportunistically
consume aliment and take advantage of any food source available such as
crabs, snails, jellyfish, and fish.
When the spill occurred, the petroleum affected the females during their
migrations towards the beaches that could have possibly already been
contaminated for the time these approached the area. Also, the oil spilled
reached the beaches where the eggs were previously deposited. Of having
spawned successfully, a few weeks later the newly born turtles that typically swim
to the shore swam towards the oil slicks.
F
ig
ur
e
1:
Marked in purple and red are the major nesting beaches in the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and the
proportion of the number of nesting documented for each beach in 2007 (Source: J. Pea, GPZ), and place
where the nesting occurred. (Source: Father Island National Seashore, Florida Marine Research Institute,
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, FWS, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission)
Added to many concerns is the matter referring to the case that sea turtles,
including the Kemps Ridley, are near the top of the animal food chain and is
consequently an indicator for the potential effects the Deep-water Horizon spill
can have on the rest of the marine ecosystem whose habitat is found in the area
affected.
The consequences of the oil spill will impact the Kemps Ridley turtles for
decades and will continue to threaten the marine environment.
Conclusion
The Deep-water Horizon oil spill was an environmental disaster known as the
biggest spill in the countrys history that threatened the ecosystem in various
ways.
BP, who owned the drilling rig was irresponsible and due to that, threatened
many species such as dolphins, birds and most importantly sea turtles,
specifically the Kemps Ridley turtles that have been endangered for more than
forty years.
This type of sea turtle takes a long time to mature and their reproduction is very
slow. For that reason, the oil spilled affected them the most. Due to the amount of
oil released, the Kemps turtles were impaired during their nesting season and
consequently their reproduction was jeopardized. Note that the growth of this
specie is essential for their future as members of the marine ecosystem and the
balance of it.
The preservation of Kemps Ridley turtles is necessary for our environment and
in order to help these sea turtles overcome the damages imposed by the oil spill
we must inform people about sea turtles and all the environmental obstacles they
constantly face. Additionally, we must encourage members of all communities to
support nonprofit organizations like WorldWildlife.org and Nature.org that work
to preserve this specie. The groups support actions and laws that protect sea
turtles and the beaches were they nest, both nationally and internationally.
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[DOC] Ecological Impacts during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
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