The mass ecological effect of oil spills

Being in the field of petroleum engineering, it is important to be aware of the damage that may be
caused while extracting oil from the ocean floor- accidents tend to occur even if safety protocol is in
place, lives will be lost should there be a fire, lives can be affected due to utter toxicity of pure crude oil.
But what about the animals that call the ocean their home? Their habitation is now contaminated with
gallons of oil, and they have nowhere to escape. The oil present cannot be removed so easily, and tends
to gravely affect the lives of these creatures. The following essay is surrounding the topic of oil spills and
their direct, acute, short-term and long-term effects on habitats and its inhabitant organisms. The
severity of these oil spills all vary and their effects are some that are still present today. While efforts
have been made to clean these spills, the sheer extremity of the spill renders it impossible for most
environments to return to their original states. This essay as well as the other five articles have been
selected to study the damage done to the ecosystem, whether it be the deaths of sea otters or the
residue of mercury present in seabirds feathers, and to compare these ecological effects of oil spills.

The earliest oil spill selected, which was the Ixtoc oil spill (Soto, 2010), happened in 1979 in the
Southwestern Gulf of Mexico, with reefs and coasts blooming with biodiversity. This biodiversity was
seriously affected because one of the worlds largest and longest oil spills occurred in this region, with
the oil leaking continuously for 6 months. The next spill chronologically was the Exxon Valdez oil spill
(Monson, Doak, Ballachey, Johnson, and Bodkin, 1999), taking place in Alaska which is biodiverse in its
own way- with its spill affecting the otters, seagulls and other animals that call the ocean their home.
Next comes the largest spill ever recorded, in 1991, which was also an act of eco-terrorism and this spill
caused chaos ecologically in the Arabian Gulf (Michel, Hayes, Getter, and Cotsapas, 2001) where 803km
of shoreline was affected. Furthermore, studies that were carried out 10 years post the Gulf war spill
still showed signs of the damage some places were deemed as non-recovering meaning that these
areas would never be able to return to the condition they were in prior to the spill. The Prestige spill
(Moreno, Jover, Diez, Sard F, Sanpera, 2013) comes next in 2002 off the coast of Spain releasing
approximately 60,000 tonnes of oil into the sea. The article selected focuses mainly on how the seabird
ecology was disrupted in a long-term manner. Lastly, the most documented oil spill of the decade is the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Paquette, 2013) which is the second largest oil spill in history. Being the
second largest spill in history, the location of the spill played a major role in the number of lives of sea
creatures it took; it happened in the Gulf of Mexico, which was the same location where another
massive oil spill occurred- the Ixtoc spill of 1979. The area had already been affected once before and
now with another spill further damage has been done, with over 8000 sea creatures and counting dying
due to the release of oil into their living environment.

Since the start of oil exploration and drilling, oil spills have been taking place- but only in the recent
years have the real adverse effects of these spills come into light. Past studies have been done on each
of the spills, but the more recent spills have more comprehensive studies done on them through all
aspects. For example, the Deepwater Horizon spill has a complete journal published by Elsevier on all
the TPH level and chemical component levels over the short period of time preceding the spill. This
study has helped all other scientists while performing their studies as they will be able to compare the
results of the scientific report. Similarly, the article on the Gulf war spill by Michel, Hayes, Getter &
Cotsapas (2001) uses information that found on past studies conducted right after the spill occurred, a
study by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. These early studies really aid for more studies
in the future as they have some results that can be compared to future results. Additionally, many wide-
ranging articles were written by B.E Ballachey on the Exxon Valdez spill on the ecology which have been
proved very helpful in understanding the spill and its consequences.

Various methods were used while conducting studies for these articles, depending on what exactly they
were studying in each case. For the mere measurements of chemical components in the water,
analytical methods were used. In most oil spills, it is usually common to measure the total petroleum
hydrocarbons (commonly referred to as TPHs) (Paquette, 2011). The impacts of any oil spill are better
understood when these TPH levels are studied well, and must also be measured at different levels
through different periods of time. The Deepwater Horizon has caused the imminent death of many sea
creatures because of the high levels of TPH residue left in the water. The results of many of these
articles concluded the same- the aftermath of an oil spill is always devastating because of the toxicity of
the petroleum, ability of the petrol to seep into the ground, and the negative effects of the TPHs on the
organisms that live in the ocean and by the ocean. In some areas, such as the areas affected by Gulf War
spill (Michel, Getter, Hayes & Cotsapas, 2001) a Rapid Environment Assessment was conducted to assess
the lands ecological condition. The results of this assessments were split into two groups which were:
recovering and non-recovering. Oil residue of sediments were also recorded by the TPH
concentration and the thickness of oil sediments on the shore. The surrounding environment had
become so completely damaged that one of the most important ecosystems, the mangroves, had been
considered as non-recovering meaning that the area would never return to its original state again and
the animals that thrive in this ecosystem will eventually perish or will have to relocate to other
recovering habitats (Michel, Getter, Hayes & Cotsapas, 2001). These results can be classified into
heavily, moderately and lightly oil sediment residues.

As for the Prestige and Exxon Valdez spills (Moreno et al, 2013) the studies selected are about the long-
term effects of the spill on the animals living in the water and how they could adapt to this spill. Otter
mortality rates that were observed prior to the spill could aid in distinguishing the differences in death
rates after the Exxon Valdez spill. The otters that were studied post-spill seemed to die due to inability
to breathe and because their prey was slick with oil (Monson et al, 1999). Similarly, the seabird feathers
unaffected were used to compare with those that were affected. The technique to show long term
discrepancies was that the mercury levels in the seabird feathers were measure isotopically because the
seabirds fed on clams and other fish which had high mercury levels because they were affected by the
oil spill. Lastly, various methods were used in the study about the Ixtoc spill (Soto, Botello & Licea-Duran,
2010) ranging from the microbial community in the Gulf of Mexico, to the tiniest organisms present in
the Gulf- the zooplankton. All these methods were successfully able to determine the short term and
long-term results of a mass oil spill. Microbiological data show that the impact on surface waters and
sediments caused by seasonal or irregular oil inputs produces changes in oil-degrader percentages both
in coastal lagoons and the offshore oil-production area. The fishing industry in the zone also faced
challenges and is until today. In the trophic seabird study, the results showed signs of high mercury
levels in the feathers of birds which consume clams that were exposed to the oil (Soto, Botello & Licea-
Duran 2010). The results over the years showed that one colony had significantly lower trophic levels
than the others, and the year that the sample was recorded showed a decline in the tropic values over
the course of the decade.
The Gulf of Mexico, where both the Ixtoc and Deepwater spills occurred, is one of the most biodiverse
zones in the world and this zone is now facing tremendous decline in its inhabitants, including the
different types of plankton. Environmentalists worldwide are seeking ways to put an end to oil
exploration and drilling due to the mass amount of damage it has created in several ecosystems. It has
taken the lives of many animals and will continue to do so even post-spill because animals are linked
through the food chain and a decline of one animal in the food chain will lead to an increase in another
animal species, causing an unbalanced environment which leads to so many other issues within this
environment. Additionally, the land is also affected as it becomes seeped with thick oil and this oil does
not wash or weather away so quickly. It has made the shorelines unsuitable to sustain life and has
destroyed mangrove forests, which are considered one of the most advanced ecosystems. Furthermore,
spills are also causing a variety of rare animals to become endangered, and eventually extinct.

Man-made disasters such as these spills will continue to occur accidentally but it is best to be aware
about how to deal with these types of situations- and the continual studies on this subject of ecological
damage will only aid in solving these issues in the future. When the ecological balance is disturbed in
any environment, the organisms present will suffer the consequences even if a small change is made
and when such a large amount of oil is released into their habitat, the outcome will turn out to be a
tragedy. Vast areas have been affected and will continue to experience a decline in the number of
marine organisms, and is also deemed potentially dangerous for humans due to high toxicity. This study
is on the long-term and large-scale effects overall marine environment and shows how instabilities in
the ecology can lead to further disturbances in the economy and society, as seafood from the region of
the spill is said to be unfit for consumption. These oil spills are reminders of the unreliability of the
offshore technology employed in the exploitation of fossil fuels contained in the seabed, and how acts
of blatant eco-terrorism in the past has led to much more damage than previously imagined (Soto,
Botello & Licea-Duran, 2010). To conclude, better global evaluation of marine environment helps in
making effective decisions when it comes to conservation and restorative actions. It is in our hands to
care for these creatures who are left helpless after we are destroying their natural habitat for
exploitation for our own benefits.

References:

Michel J., Hayes M.O., Getter C.D. & Cotsapas L. (2001) The Gulf War Oil Spill Twelve Years Later: The
Consequences of Eco-Terrorism (1st ed.). Research Planning Inc, South Carolina, USA.

Monson, D.H., Doak D.F., Ballachey B.E., Ansel, J. & Bodkin J.L., (1999). Long-term impacts of the Exxon
Valdez oil spill on sea otters, assessed through age-dependent mortality patterns (1st ed.) The National
Academy of Sciences, USA.

Moreno R., Jover L., Diez C., Sard F. & Sanpera C. (2013). Ten Years after the Prestige Oil Spill: Seabird
Trophic Ecology as Indicator of Long-Term Effects on the Coastal Marine Ecosystem. PLoS ONE 8(10):
e77360. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077360.

Paquette, S.E. (2013). Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: BP 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. (1st ed.). Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Connecticut, USA.
Soto, L., Botello A. V. & Licea-Duran, S., (2014). The Environmental Legacy of the Ixtoc-I oil spill in
Campeche Sound, southwestern Gulf of Mexico (1st ed.). Institutio de Ciencias del Mar y Lumnologia,
Mexico.