Oil Spill Pollution

Oil is a necessity in the industrial society and a major element of our lifestyle.
In fact, production and consumption of oil and petroleum products are increasing, and the risk
of oil pollution is increasing accordingly.

1. Causes
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the
environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The
spill can not only occur in marine but also on land.
The movement of petroleum from the oil fields to the consumer involves as
many as 10 to 15 transfers between many different modes of transportation, including tankers,
pipelines, railcars, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and tank trucks. Oil is stored at terminals
and refineries along the route. Accidents can occur during any of these transportation steps or
storage times.
In conclusion, it is important to study spill incidents from the past to learn how
the oil has affected the environment, what clean up techniques work, and what improvements
can be made.

2. Environmental Impacts
Oil spill can affect animals and plants in two ways: from the oil itself and from
the response or cleanup operation. The severity of environmental damages caused by a
particular oil spill depends on many factors, including the amount of oil spilled, the type and
weight of the o, the location of the spill, the species of wildlife in the area, the timing or
breeding cycles and seasonal migration, and even the weather at sea during and immediately
after the oil spill.
Effect on humans
An oil spill represents an immediate fire hazard. Spill oil can also contaminate
drinking water supplies. Contamination can have an economic impact on tourism and marine
resource extraction industries. For example, the Deep-water Horizon oil spill impacted beach
tourism and fishing along the coast.
Effect on birds
Any oil spill in the ocean is a death sentence for sea birds. The birds are likely
to be exposed to oil as they float in the water surface. Oiled birds can lose the ability to fly,
dive for food or float on the water.
Effect of mammals
Oil spills frequently kill marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals and
sea otters. The deadly damage can take several forms. The oil sometimes clogs the blow holes
of whales and dolphins, making it impossible for the animals to breathe properly and disrupting
their ability to communicate.
Even when marine mammals escape the immediate effects, and oil spill can
cause damage by contaminating their food supply. Marine mammals that eat fish or other food
that has been exposed to an oil spill may be poisoned by the oil and die or can experience other
problems.
Effect on fish
Fish can be impacted directly through uptake by the gills, ingestion of oil or
oiled prey, effects on eggs survival. Adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers,
and changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproductive impairment when
exposed to oil. Oil has the potential to impact spawning success as eggs of many fish species
are highly sensitive to oil toxins
Effect on plants
Marine algae and seaweed responds to oil, and oil spills may result in die-off
for some species. Algae may die or become more abundant in response to oil spills.

3. Solutions
No two oil spills are the same because of the variation in oil types, locations and
weather conditions involved. For example, light oils are very volatile, so they usually don’t
remain for long in the aquatic or marine environment. If they spread out on the water, as they
so when they are accidently spilled, they will evaporate relatively quickly. Very heavy oils life
bunker oils, which are used to fuel ships look black and may be sticky for a time. There are
several ways to clean up oil spills.
Booms and skimmers
Contain the spill with booms and collect it from the water surface using skimmer
equipment. There are various types of booms that can be used either to surround and isolate a
slick, or to block the passage of a slick to vulnerable areas such as the fish-farm pens or other
sensitive locations.
Dispersants
Dispersants are chemical agents similar to soaps and detergents that help break
up an oil slick into very small droplets, which dilute throughout the water. While this does not
remove the spill material, smaller oil particles are more easily biodegraded and it provides a
measure of protection for sensitive habitats threatened by a surface slick. Dispersants are
sprayed onto spills by specially equipped boats or planes.
Bioremediation
Using naturally present microorganisms to clean up oil spills makes use of
bacteria living in the ocean who actually “eat” the oil when it enters their natural habitat. Most
of the components of oil washed up along a shoreline can be broken down by bacteria and other
microorganisms into harmless substances such as fatty acids and carbon dioxide.
Tractor beam
The tractor beam is the most advanced solution to oil spills, yet it wasn’t put to
practical use. In 2014, physicists at the Australian National University (ANU) have created a
tractor beam on water, providing a radical new technique that could not confine oil spills.

4. Prevention
Technical solutions are helping us to reduce the risk of oil leaking from
pipelines into the ocean and lessen the impact of this occur. Systems are designed to detect any
drop in pressure in the pipes and activate multiple valve systems to stop the oil flow.
In order to reduce the chances of an oil spill from tankers, engineers have
developed new ship design with double and even triple hulls. The oil is stored in the most
interior hull, so that if there was a leak, it would be captured in the next outer hull.
Prevention requires continuous assessment and improvement in every phase of
operation in which oil is produced, transported, stored, and marketed. Exploration and
production facilities use advanced technologies and materials that incorporate multi back-up
safety systems, such as blowout preventers. Pipelines employ computers, electromagnetic
instruments, and ultrasonic devices that detect and report.
Throughout training, employees are educated with prevention measures aimed
at minimizing the risk of spills and ensuring safe operation. Employee training is a vital part of
preventing spill.