An oil spill is the accidental release of liquid petroleum into the environment. Unlike oil spills on land which can easily be contained and cleaned up, an oceanic spill poses several more ecological problems. The demand for oil worldwide, specifically in the US, requires the obtainment of this oil, whether drilled on land or pipelined up deep from the ocean floor. The oil may be a variety of different materials, including crude oil, refined petroleum oil (gasoline/diesel), oily refuse, or ship bunkers. The primary source, 70%, of accidental oil spills is associated with oil transportation by tankers and pipelines, whereas, offshore drilling contributes less than 1%. Once oil hits the water, the rapidly spreading petroleum can easily become uncontrollable. One quart of oil can contaminate one million gallons of drinking water without treatment. With the average 726 million gallons spilled annually, containing, eliminating, and un-contaminating oil spills is crucial. There are two different types of oil: lighter refined oil, and heavier unrefined oil. Lighter oil, like gasoline, is thinner and, therefore, faster to breakdown, yet it is the most toxic type of oil that, with one inhalation, can cause death of an animal. Heavier oil, such as crude oil, takes longer to break down because of its thickness causes less toxic damage than gasoline, however, the crude oil blankets wildlife with its gluey texture to cause more wildlife problems. Such episodes have the ability to cause severe ecological risks, primarily for seabirds and mammals, resulting in substantial environmental disturbances and economic impacts on coastal activities, mainly fisheries. Oil is less dense than water, meaning the upward buoyancy force on the oil is greater than the downward force of gravity on the oil, also known as the weight of the oil. The longer oil sits on the water, depending on the type, can lead to oil sinking to the bottom of marshes and remaining for many years. Once on the shoreline, oil turns into tar and becomes a catastrophic problem and mess to clean up. There is suddenly no fresh drinking water and plants that once provided animals with food, are unable to produce nourishment and live. This results in the depleting of several fields, forests, and habitats. Oppositely, in the ocean the environment of all marine animals is slowly deteriorating, where the natural cycle of life is suddenly dying. The entire food chain is affected, springing conflict within all aspects of marine life.
On the other hand, there are ways to fix, contain, or lessen the damage of oil spills. The factors of the type of oil, amount, and location of the spill all play into the decision of the spill’s treatment. Preferably, if there are no serious concerns to wildlife and local environment, the choice would be to leave the oil alone, to naturally breakdown. As long as there are no immediate dangers at risk, the mixture of waves, currents, wind, sun, tide, and sand will effectively disperse and evaporate most oils. Secondly, the use of booms and skimmers contain the oil from dispersion while it is being collected. These surround and isolate the oil slick, so skimmers and absorbers can rid of the waste. Also, containing the oil in fire booms, burning the oil can lessen some of the damage. Once the oil is too uncontrollable and has spread too far away from the original spill zone, dispersants are used to help chemically breakdown the oil to quicken the process of its natural biodegradation. These dispersants work by reducing surface tension that normally stops oil and water from being able to mix. This creates small droplets of oil that are easier to naturally dissolve. This, however, can cause some oil to sink to the ocean floor, where it will stay and poison the surrounding habitat. As mentioned, once oil is broken down using dispersants, oil becomes denser than water causing the oil to sink. Once all else has failed, biological agents, similar to dispersants, break up oil and allow natural processes of biodegradation occur. However, biological agents work must faster and more effective. The agent bio-chemically alters the components of the spill, allowing the breakdown of bacteria and other natural microorganisms to turn the oil into a safe and harmless substance made up of only fatty acids and CO2. The addition of phosphorus or nitrogen can speed up the process enough to be considered the most natural, yet most effective form of biodegradation.
When it comes to solving the problem of oil spills, there are certain ways to set qualifications on tankers such as a double hull. This will prevent more oil spills from happening because if one hull breaks, then the second one captures the oil from spilling. Once oil is spilled, certain organizations want locals to volunteer to help out. However, if there are no local spills near you, the local solution that I did was to work with the Matter of Trust Organization. They collect hair and stockings to stuff the hair into the stockings to make absorbent booms. This prevents oil from reaching certain important areas. Oil Spills are a major problem that needs to be addressed. Although completely accidental every time oil is spilled, there must be a solution created to mark certain regulations on tankers in order to make oil transportation more safe and reliable.
Friday, May 28, 2010
My Local Solution
Although oil spills are a worldwide problem, there are certain ways to help clean up and donate locally. Instead of physically going to clean up an oil spill, foundations recommend helping in other ways. 
My local solution was to work with the Matter of Trust organization, local hair salons/groomers, as well as my school to donate materials used to clean up oil spills. The Matter of Trust organization collects the hair that salons would normally throw away, as well as stockings and tights to make the booms that would potentially protect an oil spill from reaching important habitats. The foundation stuffs stockings with hair to make long booms that easily absorb oil from water. Our hair naturally collects oil, which is why we shampoo, making it a natural, cheap way to save our ecosystem. 
I went go to local hair salons to ask if they would be willing to donate the extra hair from haircuts to the Matter of Trust organization. I gave them a brochure of information on what they could do to continue donating, and they both gave me a bag of hair. As well as hair, I reached out to the students and faculty of school to donate unused stockings and tights throughout the week and a half. I received about 20 old tights and stockings that I will add to my box. In the end, I sent a box of hair and stockings to the Matter of Trust organization in Florida to contribute Hightstown's help towards oil spills. Especially with the recent spill in the Gulf, our help is needed, and I am willing to give in any way that I can.
My local solution was to work with the Matter of Trust organization, local hair salons/groomers, as well as my school to donate materials used to clean up oil spills. The Matter of Trust organization collects the hair that salons would normally throw away, as well as stockings and tights to make the booms that would potentially protect an oil spill from reaching important habitats. The foundation stuffs stockings with hair to make long booms that easily absorb oil from water. Our hair naturally collects oil, which is why we shampoo, making it a natural, cheap way to save our ecosystem. 
I went go to local hair salons to ask if they would be willing to donate the extra hair from haircuts to the Matter of Trust organization. I gave them a brochure of information on what they could do to continue donating, and they both gave me a bag of hair. As well as hair, I reached out to the students and faculty of school to donate unused stockings and tights throughout the week and a half. I received about 20 old tights and stockings that I will add to my box. In the end, I sent a box of hair and stockings to the Matter of Trust organization in Florida to contribute Hightstown's help towards oil spills. Especially with the recent spill in the Gulf, our help is needed, and I am willing to give in any way that I can.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is an oil spill?
A: An oil spill is the accidental release of petroleum into the environment. Oil spills usually refer to the release of oils into the water, but they can also occur on land. While some oil spills can be sealed quickly, cleaning up the aftermath is always a long term project. The longer the oil sits in the water without cleaning up, the greater the impact is on the environment.
Q: How fast does the oil spread during a spill?
A: Oil can spread very rapidly unless it is contained by a boom or other methods. The lighter the oil, the faster the spread, meaning that gasoline would travel faster than heavier oils such as crude oil. However, once oil hits the water it can spread to only millimeters thick within hours.
Q: What type of oil causes the most harm?
A: Oils are all dangerous in different ways. Oil such as gasoline and diesel is refined oil and has smaller molecules compared to heavier oils such as crude oil; therefore, they evaporate and break down quicker. However, gasoline and diesel are extremely toxic and can kill organisms that inhale or absorb their fumes. On the other hand, crude oil and other heavy oils are less toxic, yet are thick and sticky which can smother and blanket wildlife. This prevents animals from being able to keep their normal body temperatures, as well as being able to sink.
Q: How do oil spills affect animal and plant life?
A: Oil spills can greatly affect plants and wildlife in all aspects. They have the ability to cause severe ecological risks, primarily for seabirds and mammals, resulting in substantial environmental disturbances and economic impacts on coastal activities, mainly fisheries. Once on the shoreline, oil turns into tar. There is suddenly no fresh drinking water and plants that once provided animals with food, are unable to produce nourishment and live. This results in the depleting of several fields, forests, and habitats. Oppositely, in the ocean the environment of all marine animals is slowly deteriorating, where the natural cycle of life is suddenly dying. The entire food chain is affected, springing conflict within all aspects of marine life.
Q: Where do most spills happen in the world?
A:
Gulf of Mexico—267 spills
Northeastern U.S.—140 spills
Mediterranean Sea—127 spills
Persian Gulf—108 spills
Q: How are spills cleaned up?
A: On the other hand, there are ways to fix, contain, or lessen the damage of oil spills. The factors of the type of oil, amount, and location of the spill all play into the decision of the spill’s treatment. There are four major methods of cleaning up oil spills: natural biodegradation, booms and absorption, dispersants, and biological agents.
Q: How much oil is spilled into the ocean annually?
A: Approximately 1.3 million gallons of oil are spilled into U.S. waters every year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Q: What was the biggest oil spill in history?
A: The Persian Gulf oil spill in 1991 is so far the biggest oil spill in history. During the Gulf War, as Iraqi troops retreated from Kuwait they opened all valves and pipelines which eventually poured 8 million BARRELS of oil.
Q: What malfunctions cause oil spills?
A: Oil spills are accidently caused by human activity such as well blowouts, pipeline breaks, ship collisions or groundings, overfilling of bilge pumps and gas tanks on ships and oil-contaminated water from water runoff in streets.
Q: What can we do to prevent oil spills?
A: Organizations and cleanup crews don’t want volunteers to come from around the states; they would rather have local citizens volunteer. On the other hand, there are things that one could do locally to help in the cleanup. By raising awareness and collecting materials that can be donated to the cause are all as effective as physically helping.
A: An oil spill is the accidental release of petroleum into the environment. Oil spills usually refer to the release of oils into the water, but they can also occur on land. While some oil spills can be sealed quickly, cleaning up the aftermath is always a long term project. The longer the oil sits in the water without cleaning up, the greater the impact is on the environment.
Q: How fast does the oil spread during a spill?
A: Oil can spread very rapidly unless it is contained by a boom or other methods. The lighter the oil, the faster the spread, meaning that gasoline would travel faster than heavier oils such as crude oil. However, once oil hits the water it can spread to only millimeters thick within hours.
Q: What type of oil causes the most harm?
A: Oils are all dangerous in different ways. Oil such as gasoline and diesel is refined oil and has smaller molecules compared to heavier oils such as crude oil; therefore, they evaporate and break down quicker. However, gasoline and diesel are extremely toxic and can kill organisms that inhale or absorb their fumes. On the other hand, crude oil and other heavy oils are less toxic, yet are thick and sticky which can smother and blanket wildlife. This prevents animals from being able to keep their normal body temperatures, as well as being able to sink.
Q: How do oil spills affect animal and plant life?
A: Oil spills can greatly affect plants and wildlife in all aspects. They have the ability to cause severe ecological risks, primarily for seabirds and mammals, resulting in substantial environmental disturbances and economic impacts on coastal activities, mainly fisheries. Once on the shoreline, oil turns into tar. There is suddenly no fresh drinking water and plants that once provided animals with food, are unable to produce nourishment and live. This results in the depleting of several fields, forests, and habitats. Oppositely, in the ocean the environment of all marine animals is slowly deteriorating, where the natural cycle of life is suddenly dying. The entire food chain is affected, springing conflict within all aspects of marine life.
Q: Where do most spills happen in the world?
A:
Gulf of Mexico—267 spills
Northeastern U.S.—140 spills
Mediterranean Sea—127 spills
Persian Gulf—108 spills
Q: How are spills cleaned up?
A: On the other hand, there are ways to fix, contain, or lessen the damage of oil spills. The factors of the type of oil, amount, and location of the spill all play into the decision of the spill’s treatment. There are four major methods of cleaning up oil spills: natural biodegradation, booms and absorption, dispersants, and biological agents.
Q: How much oil is spilled into the ocean annually?
A: Approximately 1.3 million gallons of oil are spilled into U.S. waters every year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Q: What was the biggest oil spill in history?
A: The Persian Gulf oil spill in 1991 is so far the biggest oil spill in history. During the Gulf War, as Iraqi troops retreated from Kuwait they opened all valves and pipelines which eventually poured 8 million BARRELS of oil.
Q: What malfunctions cause oil spills?
A: Oil spills are accidently caused by human activity such as well blowouts, pipeline breaks, ship collisions or groundings, overfilling of bilge pumps and gas tanks on ships and oil-contaminated water from water runoff in streets.
Q: What can we do to prevent oil spills?
A: Organizations and cleanup crews don’t want volunteers to come from around the states; they would rather have local citizens volunteer. On the other hand, there are things that one could do locally to help in the cleanup. By raising awareness and collecting materials that can be donated to the cause are all as effective as physically helping.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Case Studies
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Exxon Valdez
Website:http://www.valdezalaska.org/history/oilSpill.html
Summary:The oil spill known as the Exxon Valdez, occurring on March 24, 1989, was caused when a tanker who was destined for California from Alaska ran aground on Bligh Reef in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. Many factors contribute into making this the worst spill in US History. Within the first 6 hours of grounding, the Exxon Valdez spilled 10.9 million gallons of unrefined crude oil from eight of its eleven oil tanks. Response vehicles were engaged and the production of containment began using booms, absorption, and dispersants, however, the factor that turned this contained spill into a catastrophic event was the storm on March 26, 1989. This storm caused the oil to turn into mouse and tar balls that were no longer compatible with the dispersants previously used, was uncontainable due to the mass spread, and now contaminated 1,100 miles of Alaskan coastline. The cobblestone/ course-sand shorelines caused the oil to seep into the sub-surface. The total clean up took about a year; however, even today there are samples of shoreline taken, where there is still a sheen of oil in the sub-surface. This oil spill caused the death of much wildlife, as well as the contamination of most. Thus, the Exxon Valdez is remembered by most as the most disastrous spills in the US waters.
Ixtoc 1
Website:http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/26_spilldb.pdf
Summary:The Ixtoc 1 oil spill on June 6, 1979 occurred in Bahia de Campeche, Mexico when the PEMEX oil companies 2 mile deep oil well blew out caused by the loss of drilling mud circulation. The well caught on fire with the oil surfacing, causing it to collapse, which obstructed any chance to control the blowout. Blowout committees worked to close the blowout preventer on the ocean floor, but valves began rupturing so the preventer was reopened. Two relief wells were drilled to relieve pressure from the well that would allow the slow of oil, and the pumping of mud, steel, iron and lead balls into the well reduced the flow to only 10,000 barrels a day. Ultimately, 140 million gallons of oil was spilled and affected 162 miles of US beaches. The well was finally capped and oil stopped leaking on March 23, 1980, almost a year after the initial accident.
BP Deepwater Horizon
Website:http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=40&contentId=7061813
Summary:The Deepwater Horizon, a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, blew out and sank on April 22nd, killing 11 people and detached the pipe leading from the well to the surface causing oil to leak. Also, there are three leaks within the well itself, causing as much as 25,000 barrels (1,050,000 gallons) of oil per day leaking into the water. About 20,000 personnel, 900 vessels, and 1.9 million booms were sent to contribute to solving this national problem. There has recently been a dome put over the well that will contain about 85% of the leaking oil. This will hopefully reduce the flow of oil significantly, and the U.S. Coast Guard is potentially going to construct a relief well that can funnel most oil to the surface safely, and eventually pump concrete to permanently seal the leaking well. This spill is estimated to affect about 800 miles of U.S. and Caribbean shoreline. Once the oil hit the shore on April 30th, the Deepwater Horizon spill was said to belittle the Exxon Valdez in terms of environmental damage.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Oil Spill Article Summaries
Title:Oil Spill's Blow to BP's Image May Eclipse Costs
Author:Clifford Krauss
Date Published:April 29, 2010
Source:The New York Times
Weblink:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/business/30bp.html
Summary:This article discusses the problems that the Gulf Coast oil spill has caused BP oil's image. This spill potentially can cause the company hundreds of millions of dollars, even eventually trumping the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill that cost Exxon Mobil more than $4.3 billion. Not only will BP's owner, Tony Hayward, have to pay for compensatory payments, his company will have to deal with longterm consequences. This article speaks of the lawsuit against BP and the company Transocean, also responsible, and what they will need to do in order to turn around the plummeting company that has, since the spill, dropped 7.5% and who pays around $6 million a day.
Title:BP's Oil Spill 'Hive' Buzzes With New Ideas to Stop Leaky Well
Author:Stanley Reed
Date Published:May 08, 2010
Source:Bloomberg Businesseeek
Weblink:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-08/bp-s-oil-spill-hive-buzzes-with-new-ideas-to-stop-leaky-well.html
Summary:This article discusses what the BP's crew is planning on performing to stop the leaking oil from the Gulf Cost well spill on April 20th. They have recently put a 40 foot-high dome over the oil that will contain about 85% of the flow. There will then be a mile long pipe to controllably extract the oil to the surface. They are also trying to block the pipe using anything, like golf balls and other debris, to prevent oil from rising. The company has also tried to temporarily fix the three parts of the leaking pipe. By covering the existing pipe with another bigger pipe, they can run antifreeze and sea water around to freeze the pipes. The most effective attempt, however, is the use of robotic machinery, which have recently installed a valve, that has stopped one of the three leaks. The last plan is to permanently build a relief well that will intersect the existing, leaking well and be used to insert cement to forever plug the well. This is, however, said to take as long as 3 months.
Title:Obama Under Fire as Oil Spill Crisis Continues
Author:Craig McMurtrie
Date Published:May 17, 2010
Source:ABC News
Weblink:http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/17/2901160.htm?section=world
Summary:This article talks about the criticism of Obama for his actions towards the BP oil spill. Obama began to criticize the two companies, Transocean and BP about their irresponsibility with their oil well. This contradicts Obama's actions, where he has blamed Bush for the government's slow reaction to the spill. It took Obama 3 days to downplay the spill, 9 days to talk about it publicly, and 2 weeks to actually get to the site. This spill is a natural disaster that is testing Obama's true worth.
Title:Gulf Oil Spill Isn't Just Damaging to BP
Author:James Herron
Date Published:May 17, 2010
Source:The Wall Street Journal
Weblink:http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2010/05/17/gulf-oil-spill-isnt-just-damaging-to-bp/
Summary:Not only does the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affect the BP oil company, the entire oil industry is suffering. Plans such as Shell's new idea to drill near Alaska are being deferred and not signed until the BP spill is solved. Also, Obama is posing higher and tougher regulations for oil companies in the future that will cots the oil industry. Thus, the BP oil disaster will cost them millions in environmental and economic damage, as well as will severely limit the oil industry in the future.
Title: A Month In, Outrage of Gulf Spill Grows
Author:Kevin McGill and Vicki Smith
Date Published:May 21, 2010
Source:The Associated Press
Weblink:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSay Jtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9FR7DN80
Summary: This article discusses the deep outrage of locals and Americans due to the BP oil spill and the lack of action towards the solution. It took BP a month to create one solution that only works to contain 5% of the oil. The next solution is said to be finished in 3 months, meaning that oil will be leaking until August. On Louisiana shores, it has only been sheen oil and tar balls coming up on the shores, however, in the marshes off shore, a paint-like texture of oil is blanketing habitats. This article highlights the rage in people due to the late recognition of this massive disaster. Scientists believe that this spill will be far worse than the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. The BP disaster has already leaked 6 million gallons of oil, which is more than half the amount of oil spilled in 1989. These marshes are only witnessing a touch of the oil's hard hit soon to come.
Live footage of one BP oil leak
Only a couple of seconds of this video and the effect is the same...
Friday, May 14, 2010
Multimedia Resource List Part 2
This is a video from the Matter of Trust foundation that demonstrates my local solution. This is where I will send my materials, where they will make booms to absorb oil.
This is a BBC documentary explaining the BP Gulf oil spill and what the future is due to the oil spill.
This is part 2 to the BBC documentary.
This video gives the entire story of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. This exemplifies exactly what can go wrong and what measures must be taken will oil spills like the Exxon Valdez.
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