The Effects of Off-Shore Drilling on Marine Ecosystems

1765 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ocean pollution

The environmental impact of the planet is closely related to a problem that arose from the increasing use of Oil: the reduction of emission levels of toxic chemicals and so-called "greenhouse gases", and reducing oxygen levels. Man has caused disasters on ecosystems by killing large number of species of all kinds. Among the most serious disasters that threaten biodiversity are oil spills in the seas and oceans. The contamination by crude oil or refined oil (diesel, gasoline, kerosene and other products obtained by fractional distillation and chemical processing of crude oil) is accidentally or deliberately generated from different sources. Oil pollution comes from oil tankers accidents and leaks in offshore drilling equipment. Another source of pollution comes from land, which is thrown to the ground in cities and industrial zones, which are then carried by underground water streams, ending up in the oceans. Million tons of crude oil is transported per year across the seas. Unfortunately, accidents do happen at sea and oil spill accidents in the loading and unloading in ports. In addition, due to bad practices, service trucks needed to maintain and clean oil tankers often returned contamined. Other tankers pump oil into the sea as waste. Another form of sea oil pollution comes from gas well drilling and oil in coastal waters and underwater pipes leak. Many of these spills occur in the sea near the coast, which is where naturally inhabit a number of aquatic species and sub-aquatic of all kinds, among which are counted seabirds. One of the most disastrous spill was the one that occurred off the coast of Vancouver, Canada, where the ship crashed and Nestucca spilled 800,000 liters of oil and killed some 40,000 seabirds .Another maj... ... middle of paper ... ... oil and natural gas is acid rain, in this case not by the production of oxides of sulfur, as in the case of coal, but primarily for the production of nitrogen oxides. The damage from the production and transport are produced mainly by oil spills, accidental or not, and the work in the refineries. It is our responsibility as citizen of the world to act more conscious about the future of every living creature and our most precious resource called water. Reference Effects of oil on wildlife and habitat. (2010).http://www.restorethegulf.gov/library/assets/rtg_oil_effects_on_wildlife.pdf,1, 01-02. PLUSHNICK-MASTI, R. (2010, august 20). Oil spill panel hears about halliburton warning. Yahoo News, SAVAGE, S. (2010, June 22). Drilling ban blocked; u.s. will issue new order . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/us/23drill.html

Show More
Related

  • The Hyperbole In Slaughterhouse-Five's Slaughterhouse Five

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    For example, when the labors take oil from the ocean or sea, the oil may leak from the pipes and it will mingle with water. That time the living things in the sea are destroyed by the polluted water. So many fishes and sea organism may

    Read More

  • The Mississippi Delta and Oil: Ecosystem Services and Human Health

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Besides the accidental spillage affecting severe damage to the environment and then causing harm to humans, there are direct impacts on human health from oil. Problems suc...

    Read More

  • Oil Sands: The Impact Of The Alberta Oil Sands

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the rise of the Alberta oil sands, the contribution of greenhouses gas emissions has been increasing dramatically. Alberta has only 10% of Canada’s population but emits the most greenhouse gases than any province. Also, the oil sands are the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Canada ("Oil Sands Truth." Para 4). Additionally, although it takes a lot of energy going into producing the bitumen from the oil sands, the energy output is relatively low. A about three times water is needed for one portion of bitumen when it is being processed after being accessed from the oil sands. Not only is water wasted, but the water supply n the area is heavily polluted. There is more than three million gallons of toxic run off from the plants every day. To contain this, majority of polluted water and tar is segregated and turned into toxic pools which are deposits of a combination of chemicals and polluted water. These pools now cover about fifty square miles in the oil sands location ("Tar Sands Oil: Pros and Cons." Para 1). To make room for the industry, the boreal forest is being cut down at a rapid pace. This not only depleted forest cover but the boreal forest counters the carbon emissions from the sands but with less forests, there will be an even greater rise in carbon emissions. The land is also being harmed due to the construction of large pipelines to access consumers far away. Not only do the oil sands harm the inorganic aspects of the environment in the location but animals are harmed due to their habitats being destroyed both on land and in the water ("Pros and Cons: Alberta Oil Sands." Para 4). The rivers and streams near the oil sands are being polluted and more fish and other aquatic animals are getting sick and dying. This in turn affects the individuals who fish for a living or acquire the fish as a main dietary source. With less fish to obtain,

    Read More

  • The Consequences of Drilling for Natural Gas

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    The United States relies on imports for about forty percent of its crude oil, which is the lowest rate of dependency since 1991 according to the U.S Energy Information Administration. Today our country is trying to keep on track in becoming less and less dependent. When it comes to the topic of the future ways the United States will get its fuel, most of us readily agree that the United States should become more independent by using natural gas that is already here on our land. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of the consequences drilling for natural gas brings. Whereas some are convinced drilling is safe, others maintain that it is actually in fact dangerous. Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", the terms for drilling for natural gas, is dangerous to our public health and to the environment because of the water contamination it causes. Therefore, it is not something that should become a project for alternative fuel used by the United States.

    Read More

  • The Hazards of Ocean Pollution

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because it is the most highly publicized of the different forms of ocean pollution, oil spills, oil leakages, and general oil contamination are something that we all seem to be aware of. Since the Exxon Valdez incident, the American public in particular has been more and more critical of oil companies.Each year, over 700 million gallons of oil end up in the ocean. Contrary to what you may have thought, most oil pollution doesn't come from tanker accidents. In fact, tanker accidents account for less than 90 million of the g...

    Read More

  • The Oil Industry and Air Pollution

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ever since 1908, when Henry Ford manufactured a car that was affordable to most families, the need for oil has been growing more and more every year as humans want more and more products that use oil or are made from it. People and their need for oil far exceeds the need to fill up their car. It stretches out to vast amount of products that people use every day. Including plastics bags when they go shopping, the shampoo they use to clean their hair, the toys their kids play with and the insulation used to keep their houses warm. However with all the positives of oil they’re a lot of negatives that are a result of using oil. One immediate negative oil causes is pollution, oil has two predominant types of pollution. But before we can talk about the different types of pollution. We first need to understand what pollution is. According to Jack Dini and two chapters from his book, Challenging the Environmental Mythology: Wrestling Zeus. Dini says his definition of pollution is “To pollute is to make physically impure or unclean: to contaminate especially with man-made waste” (Dini-2). He later mentions that pollution has two different parameters. The first one being dirtiness and the second being danger. Dini writes “while safety is often talked about as an absolute requirement, modern science can detect such infinitesimally small dangers that the decision about how much health threatening pollution to allow becomes a matter of preference or efficiency, not and absolute.” (Dini-2). By writing this Dini recognizes that there is technology that can tell people when there is to much pollution, however once they know how much pollution there is, it is up to the people to decide when enough is enough and make a change. One being air pollut...

    Read More

  • Oil Spill Response

    5767 Words  | 12 Pages

    Nelson, A.N. 1971. Effects of oil on marine plants and animals. London: Institute of Petroleum.

    Read More

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has had an extremely negative effect on the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem. The oil spread across the gulf contaminating any living organism that came into direct or indirect contact with it. The oil cuts off the ability of oxygen from the air to move into the water which directly harms fish and other marine wildlife that require that oxygen. The dispersant that the BP is using to try and break up the oil moves the slick into the entire water column which contaminates the ocean floor which would most likely not have seen any damage if it wasn’t for the use of these dispersants. More than 400 species that live in the Gulf Islands and marshlands are at risk and as of November 2 s...

    Read More

  • Environmental Disaster: The Chernobyl Disaster

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most famous pollution threats of the bay was the Oil Spill of 2007. A tanker hit the wall of the bay, and a total of 58,000 gallons of oil was spilt into the water of the San Francisco Bay Area. The spread of the oil was so severe that the governed of the States came to see the progress that he inducted during the cleanup. Initial investigation of the extent to which the spill had affected the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay area took twelve hours. There are the different conclusion that was arrived at after the

    Read More

  • The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Environment

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    “ Effects of Oil Spills on Marine and Coastal Wildlife” Holly K. Ober. WEB. 19 May 2014

    Read More

  • The Globalization of ExxonMobil from 1980 to Present

    2517 Words  | 6 Pages

    12) Brad A. Andres (1997) The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Disrupted the Breeding of Black Oystercatchers. The Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol. 61, no. 4 pp. 1322-1328

    Read More

  • We Must Protect Our Environment

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”). 2. And acid rain, which is created when water in the atmosphere mixes with chemicals, ravage through rain forests and can even kill fish. 3.

    Read More

  • Exemplification Essay: Why The World Is Doomed

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every day when looking out a window, people see a beautiful earth. The earth is intriguing, but hinges on a delicate balance. Many natural resources keep the grass green and the sky blue. Man has made quite an impression on our world, and has transformed the earth's resources into tools to make life easy. However, mans' manipulation on earth has become detrimental to the health of our planet and the safety of mankind. Through the use and production of resources such as oil and energy, man is gradually poisoning the earth. Pollution has become such a dilemma in society; there is no real control or a feasible solution to society's recklessness. Without complete change, our system will collapse. The earth will eventually retaliate with disaster, or corporate control of our economy will cause hysteria and depression. Evaluation of the consequences and repercussion of worldwide pollution, may give people a better idea of what the future holds.

    Read More

  • An Examination of Water Pollution History

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    Transportation is a big issue with pollution. Vehicles create smog, catalysts for ozone, and components for acid rain. Smog contains a chemical called ozone. Ozone can seriously affect a human’s health. It reacts with the molecules in the lining of our airways. This then causes inflammation. Acid rain has many ecological effects, but none is as bad as its impact on lakes, streams, wetlands and other bodies of water. Acid rain makes waters acidic, which causes them to absorb the aluminium that goes from soil into water. When bodies of water become more acidic, the numbers and species of fish and other organisms living in the water begin to decrease. There are many examples of water pollution. Raw sewage running into water, industrial waste spills, and exhaust fumes from vehicles. A big problem with raw sewage is that Bacteria use up oxygen in the water, as they decompose the organic material in the water. The lack of oxygen kills animals and other organisms that live in the water. Many harmful chemicals are in industrial waste. These can become drinking water pollutants if not well managed. Car exhaust creates a wide range of gases and solid matter. This causes global warming, acid rain, and it harms the environment and human health. Engine noise and oil spills also cause pollution. Since most oils float, the marine creatures most affected by oil spills are animals like sea otters, and seabirds that are found on the shore or in

    Read More

  • ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

    1653 Words  | 4 Pages

    Efforts to improve the standard of living for humans--through the control of nature and the development of new products--have also resulted in the pollution, or contamination, of the environment. Much of the world's air, water, and land is now partially poisoned by chemical wastes. Some places have become uninhabitable. This pollution exposes people all around the globe to new risks from disease. Many species of plants and animals have become endangered or are now extinct. As a result of these developments, governments have passed laws to limit or reverse the threat of environmental pollution.

    Read More

More about The Effects of Off-Shore Drilling on Marine Ecosystems

Open Document