The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010. It resulted in millions of gallons of oil being released into the ocean. The oil spread and killed microorganisms and larger animals. It also killed eleven people. It reached coasts and damaged beaches and economies. It also raised a lot of questions, which resulted in many myths and misconceptions.
Naomi Klein’s article “After the Spill” in the January 2011 edition of Nation magazine discusses a scientific excursion by boat in the northern section of the Gulf of Mexico. According to David Hollander, the marine geochemist from the University of South Florida, the trip’s purpose was to go “fishing for oil” and, if oil was present, to assess its effect on the water and marine life in the Gulf of Mexico (Klein 12).
The coastal areas of the Mississippi Delta – already imperiled by the enduring effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – are once again threatened by disaster. Unlike the devastating natural disasters of 2005, the threat this time is man-made. On April 20, 2010, an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon killed eleven crewmen. The resulting fire could not be extinguished and, on April 22, 2010, Deepwater Horizon sank, leaving its oil well gushing and causing the largest offshore oil spill in United States history. While the deeply human tragedy is already readily apparent – 11 dead and 17 injured – the full ramifications of the Deepwater Horizon disaster have yet to be realized. Beyond the economic and environmental impact, the Deepwater Horizon spill is likely to be an unprecedented incident for public health.
Repanich, Jeremy. "5 Lingering Questions from the BP Oil Spill." Popular Mechanics. N.p., 20 Apr. 2011.
Damon, Andre. BP oil spill to devastate Gulf fishing industry. World Socialist Web Site, 8
The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the worst ecological catastrophes in human history, causing vast damage to a fragile and beautiful ecosystem while at the same time calling attention to the deficits in current approaches to energy prospecting, risk management, and cleanup. This analysis of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill will devote attention to the following questions: (a) What kind of technology is in use for deep-sea oil extraction, what are the factors that accounted for the BP catastrophe, what were the statistical components of the spill in terms of volume and concentration, and what was the spatio-temporal scale of the oil spill? (b) What were the environmental (physical, biological, hydrological, and atmospheric) impacts of the oil spill, in addition to the economic and social impacts? (c) What were the scientific, technological, and policy solutions implemented by various actors to pursue the cleanup of coastal areas, wildlife, and wetlands damaged by the oil spill? (d) What is the feasibility of long-term biodiversity conservation measures and the limits of such solutions?
One year after the worst oil spill in history, a sorry legacy of enduring damage, a people wronged and a region scarred remains (NRDC.org). The BP oil explosion killed eleven employees and spewed approximately one-hundred-and-seventy-million gallons of toxic crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (NRDC.org).The explosion was caused by a blowout preventer failure which was caused by a piece of drill pipe that resulted in the worst oil spill tragedy in American history. The Gulf of Mexico is the focal point of America’s southeastern region’s economic growth. However, the gulf experienced an agonizing vile catastrophe that affected several thousands miles of coastline. The BP oil spill is undoubtedly the worst oil spill in American history due to the grotesque aftereffects of the region.
When people hear the phrase "oil spill: they think a bunch of black stuff all in the water. Well there is a lot more to it then just that. It is an economical disaster as well as an environmental one. As you read along you will see how devastating this one oil spill, the Exxon Valdez, really was compared to others. Whether you, as the reader believe it or just think it is something that is none of you concern and happened 10 years ago is completely up to you. I think that your mind will change after hearing all the facts.
Oil spills are disasters which have dramatically affected the world in the past and present. They greatly harm our world’s ecosystems and everything living in them, including humans. Oil spills into large bodies of water are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities. These spills can be a result of the careless of the workers, equipment break downs and malfunctions, natural disasters, or deliberate acts by vandals, terrorists, and illegal dumpers (How Do Spills Happen?). One of the worst and most recent oil spills in history was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, otherwise known as the BP oil spill. The BP oil spill was caused by failed equipment, resulting in 176 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spills, specifically the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are one of the many technologies that propose negative effects to the environment.
Saundry, Peter. "Exxon Valdez oil spill." Exxon Valdez oil spill. 9 June 2010. The Encyclopedia