WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGERY

The Deepwater Horizon burning in April 2010.

Introduction

Clump of oil that wasn't dispersed.

         Today, oil is in high demand and production by big companies like BP. When there is high demand, companies begin cut corners, and mistakes are made. The large demand for the oil often allows these mistakes to go by with little or no problems, as the company has the funding to cover up the mess. We need to change to another fuel source, as it is having devastating effects on the environment.Why, you ask? When you think of oil spills, do you think of the fisherman industries, the struggles of the affected tourism, and the political struggles of the company that caused it? What you should really be thinking about is the biological impact that oil creates. Oil is highly toxic, and comes in many forms. At first, it remains as a thin sheen of oil at the top of the water, with highly toxic vapours coming off of it as the chemicals evaporate. It eventually sinks to the bottom of the body of water, and remains in the sediments, including the shores of the beaches it washes onto. They can clean the rocks, but the oil that seeps into the lower levels of the soil will have long term effects. ¹ It is already seen that the BP oil is resisting further dissipation, about %50 still remaining and highly durable. ⁷ Because of those reasons, many people are worried what effect the BP oil spill will have on the natural life that lives in Gulf Coast. The Deepwater Horizon, the BP oil rig, exploded on April 20, 2010 and sunk shortly afterwards. The damage created several leaks, and in the end it was estimated by the Flow Rate Technical Group that the oil spill released 205.8 million gallons. It stopped leaking on July 15, 2010 and was officially sealed on September 19, 2010.⁹ Biologist are highly concerned about the effects the BP oil spill could have on the marine life in the Gulf, when this ecocatastrophe could even surpass that of the Exxon Valdezz spill in Alaska which was said to be the worst in history.⁵

Recovery team checking sediments for oil.

Past Event: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill


         Before looking at the present, it is best to understand the past first, where we can look at the Exxon Valdezz spill that happened in Alaska. Before the BP Oil Spill, it was considered the largest spill in US history. Only 10.9 million gallons were released from the ship that struck a reef off the Alaskan coast line, a small fraction in comparison to that of the BP Oil Spill.⁵ In an investigation of the recovery at the Exxon Valdez ecosystem that the population was still unable to completely recover 10 years after the initial oil spill, as some of the oil still remained in the lower sediments.⁴ The oil in the lower surfaces, even at shallow levels, are far more toxic as they have never been exposed to weathering. That oil remains just as biologically harmful, and still poses a risk as much of it was still found in Exxon Valdezz. Some species have recovered, like the Bald Eagle, while others are still recovering like the Killer Whale, and others like the Pacific Herring are still suffering from the spill.¹⁰ Seeing how the Exxon Valdez spill, which was previously the worst oil spill in US history, was only a mere fifth the size of the BP oil spill, the extent of damage in this disaster cannot even begin to reach comprehension.

Beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Damage Done By BP Oil Spill

Can't recognize it? It's a dolphin filled
with oil.

         The damage in the BP oil spill has done to ecosystems can barely be estimated at this point, and most photographic images have been covered up by the BP company. An example of one of these images is the cruel, morbid picture of a dolphin completely filled with oil. A BP contractor’s response to this image was utter outrage and he said, “There is a lot of coverup for BP. They specifically informed us that they don’t want these pictures of the dead animals. They know the ocean will wipe away most of the evidence.”⁶ Birds also suffer, as the oil fills in the air pockets in the birds’ feathers, and ruins their insulation. As a result the birds can die of hypothermia, or drown from the weight of the oil alone.² The oil spill came at the worst time of the year; many eggs can be found at the surface, and down at the bottom of the ocean in the spring. These eggs cannot escape the oil, and are left completely vulnerable to its toxic effects. Even a small deformity is said to be “ultimately lethal to organisms in the wild”. Fresh new oil on the surface of the water releases poisonous vapours, and when there is a steady supply of new oil, the amount of toxic vapours are way worse. This vapour irritates the eyes and skin of marine life that reach the surface, and can even put them to sleep. Dr.Solagni expressed his concern for this, “They have to be awake to breathe,” he said. “If they become anaesthetized, they will die. If they become intoxicated by fumes, they won’t survive.”³ Places like Queen Bess barrier island, also known as Bird Island, took a hard hit. Animals like the Louisiana brown pelican littered the coast of the island, either dead or struggling in the tar like oil. These are among the many things that the BP failed to show the President of the US. ⁸ The oil can even accumulate in animals, a food-chain effect, where animals closer to the top of the food chain suffer. When sea weed ingests this oil, fish eats that sea weed, and whales eat the fish, the whale gets all of the toxins that were in the lower part of the food chain. Within two days of the initial spill, an abnormal number of 30 sea turtles turned up dead on the shores. There are many other effects that this oil spill has, but this article would be far too long if all were described. But it can easily be said by people like Larry Schweiger of the National Wildlife Federation that it is not a question of “if”, but “when” species will be affected by the spill.³

Turtle struggling to swim through the oil.

Questions For You

Has your perspective changed on the oil spill, and see it is not just us humans that are impacted by it, but also the marine life? 
Do you feel more aware about the subject? 
Did you originally only see the economic impact the infamous BP oil spill would have on things like the fisherman and tourism industries? 
Do you believe we are overdependent on oil, and that we need to change to another fuel source so big companies like BP no longer produce oil?
Answer in the comments on this page.


Some notes to keep in mind

*     Birds are being cleaned, but their survivability rate is not very credible. Some say it is even better to just put the birds down to end more suffering that is bound to come in the future. Even if the birds do get cleaned and released, they often die of long term kidney and liver damage. ¹¹
*     Many scientists are concerned about the dispersants sprayed in the water by BP that were used to disperse the oil, but the dispersants themselves have toxic qualities. BP put 2 million gallons of dispersants into the gulf, and the long term effects they could have on the environment is something that nobody is sure of. ¹²

    “We cannot just sweep this under the rug and say 'OK, we're collecting all the oil and it's going away. We don't have that much to worry about any more.' I contend that that's so absolutely wrong.” Dana Wetzel, Mote Marine Laboratory ¹²

*     If the things are out of sight, are they really out of mind? Should we honestly keep drilling offshore if the risks are too great, and the consequences are inevitable? Why do we keep drilling for oil when another disaster like this one can just as easily happen again?

Want to help for the cause? Raise awareness. Follow this web page and link it to your friends- raise awareness of the pressing issues raised by the production of oil. Also feel free to like and follow the fan page on Facebook this is connected to to raise publicity on Facebook and help others find this page. 


Want to do more than raise awareness? Go to these sites and donate and/or volunteer.
*   Greater Good.org, 100% of donation goes to Charity. http://greatergood.org/gtgm-GulfOilSpill-42416.html?gclid=CLyBoKD55KQCFYNqKgodNVEVMA
*   Volunteer for the RestoreTheGulf.org http://www.restorethegulf.gov/health-safety/workers-and-volunteers
*   Volunteer at http://www.earthwatch.org/expedition
*   Volunteer with Greenpeace http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/volunteer-info-for-gulf-oil-spill/blog/26005
*   Petition to Stop Offshore Drilling http://na.oceana.org/en/stopthedrill 
*   Petition to put money from BP towards the Gulf clean up http://www.ibrrc.org/gulf-oil-spill-frequently-asked-questions-2010.html 






Other Sites You Can Look Explore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1txqDQpcoA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_EhBW-8u4o&feature=related
http://ecopolitology.org/2010/06/25/peta-wants-to-charge-bp-with-cruelty-to-animals-for-oil-spill/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihK9Am0wyk
http://planetsave.com/2010/06/24/endangered-sea-turtles-being-burned-alive-by-bp-in-bp-oil-spill-clean-up-video-interview/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fSwkHOPNYw
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/bp-bans-workers-sharing-photos-animals-killed-by-oil-spill.php
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100608-gulf-oil-spill-environment-birds-animals-pictures/#/gulf-oil-spill-killing-wildlife-laughing-gull_21359_600x450.jpg
http://blog.nwf.org/blog/tags/bp-oil-spill/page/3/


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Works Cited
1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Sergvice. [December 2004]. Effects of Oil Spills on Wildlife and Habitat: Alaska Region. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://alaska.fws.gov/media/unalaska/Oil%20Spill%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
2. Kennedy, J. [N/A]. Effects of Oil Spills On Marine Life: How Oil Spills Hurt Marine Life. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://marinelife.about.com/od/conservation/tp/effectsofoilspills.htm
3. Kaufman,L. [May 4, 2010]. Concerns Up and Down The Foodchain. The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/us/05ecology.html?_r=2
4. Exon Valdez Spill Recovery. [July 14, 2008]. Summary Points: 10 Years of Intertidal Monitoring After the Exxon Valdez Spill. NOAA. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php?RECORD_KEY(entry_subtopic_topic)=entry_id,subtopic_id,topic_id&entry_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=254&subtopic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=13&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1
5. Exxon Valdez Spill Background Info. [N/A]. T/V Exxon Valdez. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.incidentnews.gov/incident/6683
6. Janssen, J. [June 2, 2010]. Growing Evidence of Oil Spill’s Impact On Dolphins, Sea Turtles. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/06/growing-evidence-of-oil-spills-impacts-on-dolphins-sea-turtles/
7. Grant,M. [September 27, 2010]. Dr. Ian MacDonald: Over 50% of BP Oil Remains in Gulf. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/09/dr-ian-macdonald-over-50-of-bp-oil-remains-in-gulf/
8. Lysiak,M. [June 2, 2010]. Dying, dead marine wildlife paint dark, morbid picture of Gulf Coast following oil spill. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_the_hidden_death_in_the_gulf.html
9. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. [October 15, 2010]. Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill#Permanent_closure
10. Cleveland,C. [August 26, 2010]. Exxon Valdez oil spill. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill
11. Gulf of Mexico Spill. [May 6, 2010]. Expert Recommends Killing Oil-Soaked Birds. Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,693359,00.html
12. Joyce, C. [August 4, 2010]. Lasting Impact Of Dispersants Unclear, Senate Told. Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128983162

Images

Dead Dolphin. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_the_hidden_death_in_the_gulf.html 

Turtle Struggling In Oil. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwfblogs/4579365957/sizes/o/in/photostream/ 

Bird Covered In Crude Oil. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://0.tqn.com/d/marinelife/1/0/R/3/-/-/oiledbird-flickr-marinephotobank500x374.jpg 

Oil Spill On Beach At the Mouth of the Missipi River. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/7737609/Gulf-of-Mexico-BP-oil-leak-the-latest-pictures-from-the-oil-spill-off-the-coast-of-Louisiana.html 

Deepwater Horizon Burning. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2001, from http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/bp-gulf-oil-spill-timeline.php 

Oil Penetration In Soil. [Online Image]. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.incidentnews.gov/incident/6683

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