BP OIL SPILL SUMMARY
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout)[4][5][6] is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. The impact of the spill continues even after the well has been capped. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.[7][8][9] The spill stemmed from a sea-floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 explosion of Deepwater Horizon, which drilled on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. The explosion killed 11men working on the platform and injured 17others.[10] On July 15, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing wellhead,[11] after it had released about 4.9 million barrels (780×10^3m3), or 205.8million gallons of crude oil.[2] It was estimated that 53,000barrels per day (8,400m3/d) were escaping from the well just before it was capped.
The spill caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf's fishing and tourism industries.[13][14] In late November 2010, 4,200square miles (11,000km2) of the Gulf were re-closed to shrimping after tar balls were found in shrimpers' nets.[15] The total amount of Louisiana shoreline impacted by oil grew from 287miles (462km) in July to 320miles (510km) in late November 2010.[16]
Skimmer ships, floating containment booms, anchored barriers, sand-filled barricades along shorelines, and dispersants were used in an attempt to protect hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil. Scientists have also reported immense underwater plumes of dissolved oil not visible at the surface[19] as well as an 80-square-mile (210km2) "kill zone" surrounding the blown well.[20]
The U.S. Government has named BP as the responsible party, and officials have committed to holding the company accountable for all cleanup costs and other damage.[21] After its own internal probe, BP admitted that it made mistakes which led to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig
Deepwater Horizon was a 9-year-old semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit, a massive floating, dynamically positioned drilling rig that could operate in waters up to 8,000feet (2,400m) deep and drill down to 30,000feet (9,100m).[23] The rig was built by South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries.[24] It was owned by Transocean, operated under the Marshallese flag of convenience, and was under lease to BP from March 2008 to September 2013.[25] At the time of the explosion, it was drilling an exploratory well at a water depth of approximately 5,000feet (1,500m) in the Macondo Prospect, located in the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States exclusive economic zone about 41miles (66km) off the Louisiana coast.[26][27] Production casing was being installed and cemented by Halliburton Energy Services. Once the cementing was complete, the well would have been tested for integrity and a cement plug set, after which no further activities would take place until the well was later activated as a subsea producer.[28][29]
Explosion
At approximately 9:45 p.m. CDT on April 20, 2010, methane gas from the well, under high pressure, shot all the way up and out of the drill column, expanded onto the platform, and then ignited and exploded. Fire then engulfed the platform.[29][33] Most of the workers escaped the rig by lifeboat and were subsequently evacuated by boat or airlifted by helicopter for medical treatment;[34] however, eleven workers were never found despite a three-day Coast Guard search operation,[35] and are presumed to have died in the explosion.[36] Efforts by multiple ships to douse the flames were unsuccessful. After burning for approximately 36 hours, the Deepwater Horizon sank on the morning of April 22, 2010.[37]
Volume and Extent of Spill
An oil leak was discovered on the afternoon of April 22 when a large oil slick began to spread at the former rig site.[38] According to the Flow Rate Technical Group the leak amounted to about 4.9million barrels (205.8million gallons) of oil exceeding the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as the largest ever to originate in U.S.-controlled waters.
The oil's spread was initially increased by strong southerly winds caused by an impending cold front. By April 25, the oil spill covered 580square miles (1,500km2) and was only 31miles (50km) from the ecologically sensitive Chandeleur Islands.[65] An April 30 estimate placed the total spread of the oil at 3,850square miles (10,000km2).[66] Envisat radar satellite stated that oil had reached the Loop Current, which flows clockwise around the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida and then joins the Gulf Stream along the U.S. east coast.
Oil began washing up on the beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore on June 1.[81] By June 4, the oil spill had landed on 125miles (201km) of Louisiana's coast, had washed up along Mississippi and Alabama barrier islands, and was found for the first time on a Florida barrier island at Pensacola Beach.[82] On June 9, oil sludge began entering the Intracoastal Waterway through Perdido Pass.[83] On June 23, oil appeared on Pensacola Beach and in Gulf Islands National Seashore. On June 27, tar balls and small areas of oil reached Gulf Park Estates, the first appearance of oil in Mississippi.[86] Early in July, tar balls reached Grand Isle. On July 3 and July 4, tar balls and other isolated oil residue began washing ashore at beaches in Bolivar and Galveston. On July 5, strings of oil were found in the Rigolets in Louisiana, and the next day tar balls reached the shore of Lake Pontchartrain.[88][89]
On September 10, it was reported that a new wave of oil suddenly coated 16miles (26km) of Louisiana coastline and marshes west of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish.
Clean-Up
The three fundamental strategies for addressing spilled oil were: to contain it on the surface, away from the most sensitive areas, to dilute and disperse it into less sensitive areas, and to remove it from the water. The Deepwater response employed all three strategies, using a variety of techniques.
The spill is the 'worst environmental disaster the US has faced', according to White House energy adviser Carol Browner,.[240] Indeed, the spill was by far the largest in US history, almost 20 times greater than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. However, the damage to the environment and the wildlife might be less in the Gulf due to various factors such as warmer water and the fact that the oil leaked deep under water
The area of the oil spill includes 8,332 species, including more than 1,200fish, 200birds, 1,400molluscs, 1,500crustaceans, 4sea turtles, and 29marine mammals.[247][248]As of November 2, 6,814 dead animals had been collected, 6,104birds, 609sea turtles.
According to NOAA, since January 1, 2011, 67dead dolphins have been found in the area affected by the oil spill, with 35 of them premature or newborn calves. The cause is under investigation.[251] Also, dolphins have been seen which are lacking food, and "acting drunk" apparently due to the spill.[252] A Mother Jones reporter kayaking in the area of Grand Isle reported seeing about 60 dolphins blowing oil through their blow holes as they swam through oil-slick waters
FAULT
On January 5, 2011,[396] the White House oil spill commission released a final report detailing faults by the companies that led to the spill.[397] The panel found that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean had attempted to work more cheaply and thus helped to trigger the explosion and ensuing leakage.[
GULF-WAR OIL SPILL SUMMARY
Persian Gulf War oil spill is regarded[by whom?] as the largest oil spill in history, resulting from the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Retreating Iraqi forces opened the oil valves on the Kuwaiti oil terminal on Sea Island in January 1991 and released over 400 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf.
The resultant oil slick reached a size of over 100 miles by 40 miles and was over 5 inches thick.
The oil slick moved south and came ashore on the north coast of Saudi Arabia.
The oil destroyed the shallow coastal water ecosystem, causing immense damage to the Saudi fishing industry.
The world largest oil spill, estimated 8 million barrels. The gulf waters in coastal areas of IRAN, KUWAIT, and SAUDI ARABIA were fouled. The Saudi Arabia had the worst damage. Because the animals and plants of the seafloor are the basis of the food chain, damage to the shoreline consequences for the whole shallow- water ecosystem.
The impact of the damage affected the multimillion-dollar Saudi fisheries industry and surrounding area including Medina al Jubayl. The spill threatened industrial facilities in Al Jubayl . The greatest pollution was experienced in Abu Ali Island. The large number of marine birds, such as grebes, cormorants, and auks were killed.
Beaches along the entire Al Jubayl coastline were covered with tar balls and oil
The oil spill and oil fires have affected the water quality, Vegetation, human health and major sources of environmental damage including toxic materials.
The amount of oil leaked into the Persian Gulf waters during 1991 Gulf War was estimated in November 1991 between Six and eight million barrels.
CAUSE
Iraqi forces opened valves at the Sea Island oil terminal and dumped oil from several tankers into the Persian Gulf.[1] The apparent strategic goal was to foil a potential landing by US Marines. It also made commandeering oil reserves difficult for US forces.[1]
The immediate Iraqi reports from Baghdad said that American air strikes had caused a discharge of oil from two tankers. This was not the case. The tanks had been intentionally opened by retreating Iraqi forces. Coalition forces determined the main source of oil to be the Sea Island terminal in Kuwait.[citation needed] American airstrikes on January 26 destroyed pipelines to prevent further spillage into the Persian Gulf.[
AMOUNT SPILLED
Early estimates on the volume spilled ranged around 11,000,000USbarrels. About half the oil evaporated, 1,000,000USbarrels (120,000 m3) were recovered and 2,000,000USbarrels (240,000 m3) to 3,000,000USbarrels (360,000 m3) washed ashore, mainly in Saudi Arabia.[7]
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The long term effects were very significant. There was no shoreline cleanup, essentially, over the 800 kilometers that the oil – - in Saudi Arabia. And so when we went back in to do quantitative survey in 2002 and 2003, there was a million cubic meters of oil sediment remained then 12 years after the spill.... [T]he oil penetrated much more deeply into the intertidal sediment than normal because those sediments there have a lot of crab burrows.
Environmental problems caused by the oil fires include smog formation and acid rain. Toxic fumes originating from the burning oil wells compromised human health, and threatened wildlife. A soot layer was deposited on the desert, covering plants, and thereby preventing them from breathing. Seawater was applied to extinguish the oil fires, resulting in increased salinity in areas close to oil wells. It took about nine months to extinguish the fires
WILDLIFE IMPACT
Approximately 25,000 migratory birds were killed. The impact on marine life was not as severe as expected, because warm water sped up the natural breakdown of oil. Local prawn fisheries did experience problems after the war. Crude oil was also spilled into the desert, forming oil lakes covering 50 square kilometres. In due time the oil percolated into groundwater aquifers.
Aside from fish, dugons, dolphins, dugons and green and hawksbill turtles are all threatened.
Before the war, gulf fisheries were a major source of income and multi-billion dollar industry. The industry which employs thousands is now threatened.
Ingestion of contaminated sea-food is a major concern.
The most serious long-term threat comes from the destruction of oxygen producing water plants and algae on the sea bed. Marine life and other species depend on sea-grasses, coral reefs and intertidal areas of mangroves.
The adverse effects on migratory birds are an additional major concern. About 2 million birds winter in this region of the Persian Gulf feeding and breeding here Within a month of the spill 20,000 birds had already been killed.
NOTE IF you can not find pictures of affected wildlife- show pics of oils pill and pics of wildlife species indicated above that are present in the Persian Gulf.
CHERNOBYL SUMMARY
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The disaster began during a systems test on 26 April 1986 at reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the town of Pripyat. There was a sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions. This event exposed the graphite moderator components of the reactor to air, causing them to ignite. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat. The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were evacuated, and over 336,000 people were resettled. According to official post-Soviet data,[1][2] about 60% of the fallout landed in Belarus.