Ocean in the News: Oil Spills
By Kelly PeakMEA 200H
October 10, 2005
Article from MSNBC.com; Sept. 19th 2005
Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina and a few days before Hurricane Rita
Only now are the Coast Guard and other agencies able to tackle environmental problems since the search and rescue effort is winding down
Spills range from several hundred gallons to the largest of nearly 4 million gallons
“44 Oil Spills found in southeast Louisiana”
Extent of Spills and Recovery
More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled from industrial plants, storage depots and other facilities 2/3 as much oil as spilled from the Exxon Valdez
tanker in 1989
nearly 2 million gallons have been recovered and another 2.3 million gallons contained
None of the leaks sent oil directly into the Mississippi River (protected by levees)
But numbers are only estimates And it’s too early to tell how effective the cleanup
will be Two significant cases: one in Meraux and
another in Venice Meraux Spill (just outside New Orleans on the
Mississippi River): oil mixed with floodwaters and sediment to submerge hundreds of homes
Already two class action lawsuits filed against the company responsible– Murphy Oil
Concerns and Significant Cases
Satellite Image of Katrina Oil Spills
Katrina-caused slick in Breton Sound, La.
Classification of Spills
Largest known spills are along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans
Major Spills: over 100,000 gallons = 5 locations Medium Spills: 10,000 to 100,000 gallons = 4
locations Offshore Oil
No reports of offshore spills in Gulf of Mexico Though leaks could spring when the thousands of oil
platforms and hundreds of miles of pipeline are restarted
And this is all before Hurricane Rita….
Report by the American Petroleum Institute
API’s Impacts on Oil & Gas Operations from Katrina and Rita
* The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) which services tankers delivering oil imports
Hurricane Impacts on Gulf of Mexico Production
Facts about Oil Spills…
How much oil enters the ocean?Estimated at 0.25% of world oil production or
about 6 million tons per year
How much oil enters the oceans with oil spills?Spills account for only 5% of oil entering
oceansDuring the last decade, more than one billion
gallons of oil spilled worldwide
Are tanker accidents the major source of marine oil pollution?No, only about 10-15% of oil into oceansBreakdown of sources:
Natural Seeps in seabed fissures and eroding sedimentary rocks- 46%
Discharges from consumption of oils (ships and land-based sources including storage facilities, refineries, terminals and filing stations)- 37%
Accidental spills from ships- 12% Offshore Extraction of oil (platforms, pipelines, etc.)-
3%
What happens to oil spills in sea water?
Clean up Methods…
Booms: floating barriers to oil Skimmers: boats that skim spilled oil from
the water surface Sorbents: big sponges used to absorb oil Chemical dispersants and biological
agents: break down the oil into its chemical constituents
In-situ burning: method of burning freshly spilled oil while it’s floating on the water
Chemical Dispersants
Boom
Skimmer
InIn-Situ Burning
Take Home Points More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled as a
result of Hurricane Katrina alone (2/3 the oil spilled with Exxon Valdez Tanker)
Largest spills along Mississippi River south of New Orleans; technically no offshore spills (only leaks)
Globally, oil spills account for only 5% of oil entering the ocean; tanker accidents only a small percentage
Many clean up methods available– booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants, etc.
References Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9365607/ Louisiana Oil Rig Photo:
http://www.jerrylabella.com/louisianas_steel-legged_reefs.htm Image of Hurricane Katrina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina Exxon Valdez Photo:
http://www.hamburger-bildungsserver.de/welcome.phtml?unten=/ozean/oel-111.html
Louisiana oil spill photos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9612756/ and http://www8.dotd.louisiana.gov/emergency/
API Slides on Katrina & Rita:http://api-ec.api.org/filelibrary/KatrinaSlides.pdf
Facts about Oil Spills: http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/faqs.htm and http://www.offshore-environment.com/facts.html
Clean up methods and photos: http://www.nos.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/supp_primer.html; http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image/viz_man1.html; http://www.ohmsett.com/For_Students_Questions_boomer_skimmer_Skimmer.asp; http://www.vs-c.de/vsengine/printvlu/vsc/en/ch/16/uc/vlus/cleanup1.vlu.html
Top Related