Effects/Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Coastal Wildlife
The impacts of oil pollution on marine ecosystem can be categorized into long term and short term effects. Suffocation caused by oil spills and oil poisoning are among the first group. Because oil floats on top of water, less light penetrates into the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton. Oil spills reduce oxygen absorption of the water, causing oxygen dissolution under oil spills to be even less than the deep sea levels. Long term effects of low concentration pollutions will reveal themselves in a longer duration. Thin oil sheens can dissolve fat soluble poisons such as pesticides and increase their concentration several times higher than usual and more than tolerable for most of the living creatures.
Suspended oil can gain weight by bonding with minerals and settle on the sea floor and harm the ecosystem there. Also causes sediments adherence to the sea floor, destabilizing plants. Usually it has been observed that sediments begin to move after oil settles on the sea floor.
An oil effect on coastal vegetation is also important. Algae and other local plants have been reported to be eradicated. Animals that come in touch with high concentrations of oil die of oil poisoning. Worms, microorganisms and young sea creatures are more sensitive.
The Essay on The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems
Buy custom Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems essay In this paper am going to examine the factors contributing to oil spills, and their effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This addition of phytoplankton leads to depletion of oxygen levels in water, making it hard for survival of animal and plant population in the water. These oil spills do not only affect the ...
Humans and other animals living near the sea are also threatened. Among these compounds, cyclic (aromatic) hydrocarbons with low boiling point are more dangerous, such as benzene, toluene and xylene. Naphthalene and Phenanthrene are more poisonous for fishes than the mentioned compounds. Aromatic compounds are more soluble in water than saturated hydrocarbons; therefore creatures may become poisoned without direct contact with the oil by the polluted water. Fortunately these compounds are volatile; their harmful effects will decrease with time.
Direct effects of oil spills on wildlife
Oil spills can impact wildlife directly through three primary pathways:
* ingestion – when animals swallow oil particles directly or consume prey items that have been exposed to oil
* absorption – when animals come into direct contact with oil
* inhalation – when animals breathe volatile organics released from oil or from “dispersants” applied by response teams in an effort to increase the rate of degradation of the oil in seawater
Ingestion can occur at multiple levels of the food chain. Herbivorous (plant-eating) wildlife, such as sea turtles, may consume vegetation that has been coated with oil particles. Carnivorous (animal-eating) wildlife, such as shorebirds that feed on clams, mussels, or worms buried in the intertidal area, may consume prey organisms that have been exposed to oil sediments washed onto the shoreline. Baleen whales (those with hair-like teeth used to trap small particles from the ocean water) can become incapacitated when oil clogs their filtering device; in extreme cases this fouling of the baleen can lead to starvation and death. Top predators may become vulnerable to large quantities of pollutants through bioaccumulation (the increased concentration of toxins found at higher levels of the food chain).
Ingestion of oil can be sub-lethal or acute and will depend to a large extent on the type of oil, its weathering stage and inherent toxicity.
These internal effects can include:
* the destruction of red blood cells, important for the immune response,
* alterations of liver metabolism,
* adrenal tissue damage,
* pneumonia,
The Term Paper on Oil and Natural Gas: Its Effects to America and the Global Economy
Oil and natural gas have a very important role in the lives of almost all people in the world. These have been the primary source of energy that fuels the technological civilization that exists at the present. Its importance could be seen in the everyday lives of most individuals. The moment someone wakes up in the morning and read the newspaper up to the time that same person would sleep in the ...
* intestinal damage,
* reduced reproduction ability,
* reduction in the number of eggs laid,
* decreased fertility of eggs,
* decreased shell thickness and
* disruption of the normal breeding and incubating behaviours
* gastrointestinal irritation
* bleeding, diarrhea
It has been estimated that as little as four microlitres of petroleum contaminating a fertile egg can cause the embryo to die.
Absorption of oil or dispersants through the skin can damage the liver and kidneys, cause anemia, suppress the immune system, induce reproductive failure, and in extreme cases kill an animal. Exposure to oil may irritate, burn, or cause infections to the skin of some species. Fish and sea turtle embryos may grow more slowly than normal, leading to lower hatching rates and developmental impairments.
Inhalation of volatile chemicals (vaporized materials released by oil floating on the surface) commonly occurs among those species of wildlife that need to breathe air. Inhalation of these harmful materials can cause respiratory inflammation, irritation, emphysema, or pneumonia. Manatees, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles all come to the surface to breathe periodically, and all are susceptible to this risk.
Indirect effects of oil spills on wildlife
Oil spills can also have indirect effects on wildlife by causing changes in behaviour:
* relocation of home ranges as animals search for new sources of food
* increases in the amount of time animals must spend foraging
* disruptions to natural life cycles
Changes in foraging locations may result from oil spills. If a spill causes direct mortality to the food resources of a particular species, many individuals of this species will need to relocate their foraging activities to regions unaffected by the spill. This leads to increased competition for remaining food sources in more localized areas. This congregating can be especially problematic for rare species which may become more susceptible to predation or to future catastrophic events while a large proportion of the population forages in a few concentrated patches.
Increases in foraging time may be required to meet energetic requirements. Animals may need to make longer trips to find food in unfamiliar areas, and they may need to forage on less preferred food that takes more time to acquire or that is digested less efficiently. Decreases in diet diversity due to lower food availability may lead to reduced overall health. At the same time, the energetic requirements of these animals may be heightened, due to the physiological challenges brought on by exposure to the oil (difficulty maintaining temperature balance with oiled fur or feathers, for instance, or trouble fighting off disease challenges with newly compromised immune systems).
The Essay on Amazon Animals Rainforest Species Million
o At least 42 million acres of tropical forest are lost each year, an area the size of Washington State. This equals about 100 acres a minute. o An estimated 50, 000 species of plants and animals, mostly plants and invertebrates and mostly in the tropics, are condemned to extinction every year, an average of about 140 a day. The forests of today are comprised of 50% boreal (mainly northern ...
Disruptions to life cycles may become apparent if particular life forms are more susceptible to the effects of oil than others. Eggs, larvae, and juveniles of many species are more vulnerable to harmful effects from pollutants than adults. Changes in the relative numbers of individuals from different life stages within a species may lead to shifts in habitat use patterns which cause ripple effects up and down the food chain. Furthermore, if a particular life stage of a species is decimated, the ability of the species to rebound after the spill is greatly reduced.
Factors influencing the degree of impact of oil spills on wildlife
The magnitude of harm caused to wildlife by oil spills varies according to a number of factors:
* the amount of exposure of each animal to oil
* the pathway through which each animal is exposed to oil
* the age, reproductive state, and health of each animal
* the type of synthetic chemicals used by response teams to clean the spill
The amount of exposure of each animal to oil-The magnitude of exposure an animal has to oil influences the degree of harm caused (such as the amount of time the skin is in direct contact with oil, or the amount of toxic material ingested or inhaled).
The more extensive the area an oil spill covers, the more difficult it becomes for animals to avoid the oil particles, and the greater the magnitude of exposure. Also, the longer the time period over which oil is present at the surface, the greater the likelihood of exposure to species that forage at or near the surface. Wave action and prevailing winds can accelerate the rate of mixing of oil from the surface into the water column, reducing exposure to species that spend time at or near the surface, while increasing exposure of benthic organisms (animals that live at the bottom of the ocean, like crabs, sponges, oysters, clams, and starfish) to smaller particles. Harm to these benthic organisms is not only any issue to these organisms themselves, but also to the many surface-dwelling organisms higher up in the food chain who suffer when their food becomes contaminated or scarce.
The Term Paper on The BP Oil Spill
... The health effects of the oil spill to humans and animals has also been drastic and ... symptoms of crude oil exposure for almost two years now. Symptoms of crude oil exposure include itchy eyes, ... manifest themselves, such as disruptions to ecosystems’ food chains. As scientists continue to gather data, ... of the spreading oil” (Buczynski). Sea turtles are a threatened and endangered species due to ...
The pathway through which each animal is exposed to oil -The route by which an animal is exposed to oil (ingestion, absorption, or inhalation) can also influence the rate and toxicity of the effects. Animals with varied diets may have fairly limited contact with oil through the ingestion route, whereas low-mobility animals that need to breathe at the surface will have high rates of exposure through inhalation due to their limited ability to escape the extent of the spill.
The age, reproductive state, and health of each animal -The age and overall health of an animal may influence the degree of harm caused by exposure to an oil spill to that animal. Individuals of lower fitness are likely to be impacted to the greatest extent by the additional stresses imposed by an oil spill. In general, eggs, larvae, and early juvenile life stages are more susceptible to oil and to chemical dispersants than are adult animals of most species. Depending upon their reproductive states at the time of a spill, the exposure of a population of animals to oil will influence the degree of harm for the population as a whole. If many larvae or juveniles die the year a spill occurs, for instance, the capacity of the species to rebound the following year will be lowered because many fewer reproducing individuals will be present.
The type of synthetic chemicals used by response teams to clean the spill-Finally, the types of synthetic materials used by response teams to clean up or disperse oil can influence the magnitude of harmful effects to wildlife. Often “dispersants,” detergent-like surfactants, are applied to an oil spill site to increase the rate of degradation of oil. The use of these dispersants can reduce exposure to harmful effects caused by the inhalation of toxic materials by animals visiting the surface to breathe, and can reduce impacts to shoreline habitats. However, these materials may increase the harmful effects of oil on the insulation abilities of bird feathers. Dispersants also cause oil particles to disperse deeper into the water column where the oil may harm populations of benthic animals in deeper waters.
The Essay on Ethical Issues Surrounding the Bp Oil Spill
... affected people, animals and the environment be compensated for the devastation that is oil spill has inflected. ... oil spill, including damages to natural resources. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties under the Clean Water ... be destroyed by the oil, thus impacting many different type of species. BP did talk about ... the oil were also unique to the Deepwater Horizon and its effects on the animals were ...
Susceptibility of various types of wildlife to oil spills
The vulnerability of various species of wildlife to an off-shore oil spill changes as time since the spill increases. Species that spend time at the surface of the water will be impacted most during the early stages of the spill. Once the oil begins to wash ashore, species that forage and nest along the shoreline are affected. Finally, influence on benthic species begins once the oil particles leave the surface and become mixed throughout the water column.
Mammals are susceptible to harm from oil spills through a variety of means. Mammals with fur become vulnerable when oil coats their fur(as oil mixes with water, it forms a substance called “mousse,” which sticks to feathers and fur).
When this happens, the fur gets matted with oil and loses its natural ability to insulate the animal’s body, and it can die of hypothermia. Young animals like seal pups, pinnipeds and otters are particularly vulnerable. Pinnipeds may actually drown, if covered with enough oil. Animals can be poisoned or suffer internal damage from ingesting oil. Effects include ulcers and damage to red blood cells, kidneys, liver and to the immune system. Oil vapours can injure eyes and lungs and can cause severe skin irritation. It also causes interstitial emphysema due to inhalation of oil droplets and vapour. Oil exposure also causes stress, disruption of reproductive hormones and behavioural changes. The oil sometimes clogs the blow holes of whales and dolphins, making it impossible for the animals to breathe properly and disrupting their ability to communicate.
Fortunately, mammals in the Gulf of Mexico, such as whales, manatees, and dolphins, are hairless and therefore less likely to suffer the dire consequences faced by sea otters and fur seals exposed to oil spills at more northern latitudes. However, animals without fur can experience irritation and increased likelihood of infection when exposed to oil. Also, the whales, manatees, and dolphins found in the Gulf of Mexico must come to the surface to breathe, which increases their risk of exposure to inhalation of volatile compounds. Baleen whales, such as Bryde’s whales, may face difficulties filtering food through their baleen if they forage in areas with oil.
The Essay on The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Whats an oil spill ? Oil spills happen when people make mistakes or are careless and cause an oil tanker to leak oil into the ocean. There are a few more ways an oil spill can occur. Equipment breaking down may cause an oil spill. If the equipment breaks down, the tanker may get stuck on shallow land. When they start to drive the tanker again, they can put a hole in the tanker causing it to leak ...
Studies from previous spills show, whales can get drugged and disoriented by noxious petroleum fumes that they can drown, and the bodies of tiny translucent organisms are literally burned from the inside out as the sun heats the fuel they have ingested.
Oil can also cause effects ‘up’ the food chain, such as when an organism higher up on the food chain eats a number of oil-infected animals
Between 1973 and 1990, an average of 11.8 million gallons of oil spilled each year in American waters. Since then, the average has dropped to just 1.5 million gallons, though oil spills in U.S. waters have risen again over the past decade, with 134 incidents in 2008 alone.
Birds are primarily affected through damages oil causes to their plumage and through ingestion. A bird’s feathers are filled with air spaces that act as insulation and keeps the bird warm. When a bird gets coated with oil, the feathers lose their insulating ability and the bird could die of hypothermia. Rate of heat loss is much higher in the water than in air, so oiled plumage is particularly problematic for birds that must find food in the water, such as seabirds, cormorants, and grebes. In extreme circumstances, oil-soaked birds are unable to fly or remain afloat because the oil has reduced both the insulation and the waterproofing of the feathers. Birds with oiled feathers are likely to have reduced survival rates because of difficulties obtaining food and escaping from predators. Oil can also be ingested directly by birds that feed on contaminated prey or while preening. As the coverage of oil on a bird increases, so does the amount of preening and the amount of oil ingested.
Oil can also cause effects ‘up’ the food chain, such as when an organism higher up on the food chain eats a number of oil-infected animals. For example, reproduction in bald eagles decreased after the eagles ate animals infected by oil after the Exxon Valdez spill. It also killed somewhere between 250,000 to 500,000 seabirds.
Sea turtle adults are probably most susceptible to oil spills through inhalation when they surface to breathe, or through ingestion of oil-fouled food and floating tar balls they mistake for food. Sea turtles have a habit of ingesting floating objects, regardless of their nutritional value. Eggs and hatchlings are susceptible through absorption. Three of the five species of sea turtles occurring in the Gulf of Mexico are endangered (Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, and Green), whereas the other two are threatened (Loggerhead, Hawksbill).
Nesting season for these species begins in the spring, which means that eggs and hatchlings are likely to experience high risk of exposure to oil spills that occur this time of year. Sea turtles can be harmed by oil they encounter in the water or on the beach where they lay their eggs, the eggs can be damaged by the oil and fail to develop properly, and newly hatched young turtles may be oiled as they scurry toward the ocean across an oily beach.
Fish. Oil spills often take a deadly toll on fish, shellfish and other marine life and can affect them both when the spill happens and later on.
Fish are harmed by feeding on contaminated larvae, algae and plankton. They also absorb the toxins directly into their bodies through the gills. Some fish eggs are destroyed by the contamination around them. Adult fish lose their ability to reproduce. They also develop fin rot, enlarged livers and an inability to grow to full size.
Fish are unsafe for eating and their numbers decrease for years after a serious oil spill. The Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway indicates that judging by the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill upon salmon populations, the effects can be both severe and long-lasting.
The shrimp and oyster fisheries along the Louisiana coast were among the first casualties of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil spill.
How Oil Spills Affect the Soil
Oil spills can have several detrimental effects on soil. Soil contaminated with oil has characteristics that render it less useful to human beings in most cases
Oxygen in Soil
According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, contamination with oil can reduce the amount of oxygen present in soil. A reduced level of oxygen has the potential to inhibit native plant growth.
Agriculture
Oil contamination can reduce the fertility of soil. When oil is spilled on land used for agriculture, it can result in reduced crop yields and poorer harvests.
Groundwater
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, oil spills can pollute the groundwater in soil, posing a risk to human beings who use or consume it.
Long-Term Effects
In some types of soil, especially sand and gravel, the effects of an oil spill can linger for years. For example, areas of beach in Alaska’s Prince William Sound have not fully recovered from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, even though it occurred more than 20 years ago.
Uses for Contaminated Soil
Oil spills do not necessarily render soil completely unusable. Oil-contaminated soil can be used in the production of asphalt, cement and brick.
Oil Spills Damage on Beaches, Marshlands and Fragile Ecosystems
Shallow coastal waters
Spill damage in shallow waters is most often caused by oil becoming mixed into the sea by wave action or by dispersant chemicals used inappropriately. In many circumstances the dilution capacity is sufficient to keep oil concentrations in the water below harmful levels, but in cases where light, toxic products have become dispersed, or in major incidents where heavy wave action has dispersed large volumes of oil close inshore, large kills of marine organisms such as shellfish have occurred. In one instance, the BRAER spill in Shetland, UK, most of the spilt oil was dispersed naturally by heavy wave action, thus avoiding much of the shoreline contamination normally associated with large oil spills. However, some oil became incorporated into seabed sediments, causing long-term tainting of some commercial species.
Seagrass
Different species of seagrass are found in temperate and tropical waters. They support a highly diverse and productive ecosystem, sheltering many organisms. Beds of seagrass reduce water currents, thereby increasing sedimentation, while the root structures stabilise the seabed, protecting coastal zones from erosion. Floating oil is most likely to pass over seagrass beds with no ill effects. However, if oil or its toxic components become mixed into these shallow inshore waters at sufficiently high concentrations, seagrass and associated organisms may be impacted. Clean-up operations in the vicinity of seagrass should be undertaken with care, as the plants can be torn or pulled out by vessel propellers and boom anchors.
Shorelines, Rocky and sandy shores, Soft sediment shores, Saltmarshes, Mangrooves
Shorelines, more than any other part of the marine environment, are exposed to the effects of oil as this is where it naturally tends to accumulate. However, many of the animals and plants on the shore are inherently tough since they must be able to tolerate periodic exposure to pounding waves, drying winds, high temperatures, rainfall and other severe stresses. This tolerance also gives many shoreline organisms the ability to withstand and recover from oil spill effects.
Rocky and sandy shores exposed to wave action and the scouring effects of tidal currents tend to be resilient to the effects of a spill and they usually selfclean quite rapidly. Rocky shores exposed to wave action are often quoted as those which recover most rapidly, and there have been many cases in which this was true. A typical example of impact on this habitat is the temporary loss of a keystone species, the limpet, which is a grazing snail, which leads to a ‘bloom’ of seaweeds in their absence. Because of the increased availability of their food source, recolonization by limpets usually follows rapidly and the normal grazing pattern is re-established. However, in some circumstances, subtle changes to rocky shore communities can be triggered by a spill, which can subsequently be detected for ten or more years. Although the functioning, diversity and productivity of the ecosystem is restored, the detailed distribution of particular species present may alter. The TORREY CANYON oil spill in 1967 is a case in point. Heavy and inappropriate use of toxic cleaning agents caused massive damage to some shores, and although re-colonization by most of the dominant organisms was rapid, subtle differences in the distribution of species could be traced over more than twenty years when compared with un-oiled sites. The overall functioning and productivity of these shores seems unimpaired, but it is difficult to be absolutely certain of this because of all the other stresses on the system, including those from tourism and fishing.
Soft sediment shores consisting of fine sands and mud are found in areas that are sheltered from wave action, including estuaries, and tend to be highly biologically productive. They often support large populations of migrating birds, indigenous populations of specialist sediment dwellers and shell fisheries. They also act as nursery areas for some species. Oil can become incorporated in fine sediments through a number of mechanisms. Examples include flocculation with sediment stirred up by storm activity and penetration down worm burrows and open plant stems. If oil does penetrate fine sediments it can persist for many years, increasing the likelihood of longer-term effects.
The upper fringe of ‘soft’ shores is often dominated by saltmarsh which is generally only temporarily harmed by a single oiling. However, damage lasting many years can be inflicted by repeated oil spills or by aggressive clean-up activity, such as trampling or removal of oiled substrate.
In tropical regions, mangrove swamps replace saltmarshes and provide an extremely rich and diverse habitat as well as coastal protection and important nursery areas. When an oil slick from a large oil spill reaches the beach, the oil coats and clings to every rock and grain of sand. If the oil washes into coastal marshes, mangrove forests or other wetlands, fibrous plants and grasses absorb the oil, which can damage the plants and make the whole area unsuitable as wildlife habitat.
Mangrove forests are one the essential habitats of coastal lines which is greatly affected by water pollution. Their importance is because of the following:
1. The main food production region in coastal habitats
2. The fish and prawn hatchlings spend their infant stage in these forests
3. Preventing shores’ erosion
4. Biological filter for coastal regions
5. Marine animals hatchling completely depend upon these forests
The harmful effects of oil spills on mangrove forests:
1. Pneumatophores are covered by oil, preventing the plants from “breathing”
2. Oil will directly smooth and soften some parts of the roots, causing them to suffocate
3. Reduction of light penetration and photosynthesis
4. Solar radiation absorbed by black oil sheens will increase the natural temperate of water
5. Where high mortality of trees occurs, in some cases including trees which are 50 or more years old, natural recovery to a diverse and productive structure can take decades
An important function of both saltmarsh and mangrove habitats is that they provide organic inputs to coastal waters which in turn enrich the communities living there. It is in these marsh and mangrove areas where damage has been recorded that reinstatement measures have real potential to speed up recovery.
The Effects of Oil Spills on Humans
Fishing Industry Harm
Oil spills can have a devastating impact on the commercial fishing industry. The oil can kill fish, leading to a decrease in the number of fish that can be caught. In addition, the risks of petroleum contamination of fish can lead to the closing of valuable fishing grounds. Since petroleum contaminants in the tissue of fish can adversely affect human health, government officials sometimes ban people from eating fish from these areas until health authorities declare these animals safe. Ships have difficulty navigating through the affected waters. The oil can damage boats and fishing gear.
Effects of oil pollution on maritime farming complexes
1. Pollution of intake water and mortality caused of poisoning
2. Decreased nutrition value of the intake water
3. Change of smell and taste in prawns and reduced commercial value, making them
unable for exports
4. Disturbance in the feeding activities of prawns leading to lower production
5. Irritating immune system, reducing the ability to resist common diseases
Food Chain Disruption
Oil contamination can disrupt local ecosystems for years. It affects land, structures, wildlife and the water supply itself. Oil may remain in the environment for years. In fact, oil has been detected in sediment 30 years after a spill, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report. Floating oil can enter the food chain by infecting the plankton and algae that fish feed on. Larger terrestrial animals may eat these contaminated fish. Humans might eat contaminated fish or animals. Oil contamination of the land and water leads to changes in population structures and species diversity. The population of animals that humans rely on for food may decrease, and local hunters will have less game
Health Effects
Petroleum can cause adverse health affects in humans. Volatile chemicals(VOSs) found in the petroleum can burn eyes and skin. They can also damage the sensitive membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes. People come into contact with oil through inhalation, ingestion or touch. Clean up workers are the most exposed to these risks and often suffer acute effects — stinging eyes, rashes, nausea, dizziness, headaches, coughs and other respiratory symptoms. They may develop skin rashes from prolonged exposure to the oil. Some 270 people who worked on clean-up of the Exxon Valdez spill filed claims for respiratory problems, and follow-up surveys have found that those who had worked most closely with the spilled oil had “a greater prevalence of symptoms of chronic airway disease”. These workers must wear protective equipment such as special clothing, goggles, respirators and gloves etc.
Economic Effects
Oil spills are expensive to clean up. If the spill is large, the government may have to allocate money to pay for the cleanup, which would take funds away from other projects. In addition, oil spills can spread to the shoreline and disrupt the local economies of areas that rely on the tourist industry. Oil on the beaches might curtail recreational activities. A reduction in the number of tourists could affect many local businesses such as restaurants, hotels or boat rentals.
Conclusion
On the whole, a large oil spill will poison and kill a great deal of sea creatures in a short duration (in several hours, even minutes).
Corpses of fishes and crabs are washed ashore. Long term effects of low concentration pollutions will reveal themselves in a longer duration.
.
Ultimately, the severity of environmental damages caused by a particular oil spill depends on many factors, including the amount of the oil spilled, the type and weight of the oil, the location of the spill, the species of wildlife in the area, the timing or breeding cycles and seasonal migrations, and even the weather at sea during and immediately after the oil spill. But one thing never varies: oil spills are always bad news for the environment.