Environmental impacts of oil spills pdf file

Introduction as climate change extends the icefree period in highlatitude. A scientific appraisal of typical oil spill effects reveals that, while damage occurs and can be profound at the level of individual organisms, populations are more resilient. Apart from oil tankers spilling oil other transportation causes include pipelines that pass undersea. Candidate, resource management and environmental studies rmes.

Environmental and economic impacts of crude oil and. A case study concerning birds in environmental impact assessments. Reproduction is permitted, provided the source is explicitly acknowledged. Yong bai, qiang bai, in subsea pipeline integrity and risk management, 2014. Predicting impacts of oil spills can ecological science cope. In august 2015, noaa scientists convened a workshop to discuss, develop, and document methods and processes to conduct assessments and investigations to evaluate the nature and extent of potential injuries to marine mammals from oil spills, emphasizing needs specific to nrda. The massive oil spill spreading through the gulf of mexico is a horrific environmental disaster that could have a devastating effect on bird populations, marine. Neba is a valuable process used by the spill response community for making the best choices to minimize impacts of oil spills on people and the environment. Increasing oil and gas exploration activities in the absence of sufficient baseline data in deepsea ecosystems has made environmental management challenging. Environmental impacts of crude oil and natural gas production. Journalists who are focusing on environmental impacts of an oil spill should pay close attention to the methods that are used in any cleanup operations. Oil spills are a serious matter because they can result in both immediate and longterm environmental damage.

The line automatically shut in due to the low pressure switch activating. Pdf while oil is a necessary risk in a complex society, recent and avoidable major oil. The industrialization of the deep sea is expanding worldwide. A new study, the first to link environmental pollution with newborn and child mortality rates in the niger delta, shows that oil spills occurring within 10km of a mothers place of residence. The environmental impact of oil spills has been extensively researched over the past 30 years and a considerable amount has been learnt about the nature and duration of such effects. In some cases, nonpetroleum oil spills can produce more harmful effects than petroleum oil spills.

Oil spill problems and management in the niger delta. Frontiers environmental impacts of the deepwater oil. Impacts the environmental impact of oil spills has been extensively researched over the past 30 years and a considerable amount has been learnt about the nature and duration of such effects. Oil spills have many adverse effects on the environment. It is necessary to implement wide safety rules to achieve also environmental friendly kind of transportation mainly occupational. The refuge is nearly 800 acres 320 ha in area and protects the only undeveloped salt pond in the state and its inhabitants. Conclusions and recommendations related chapters glossary bibliography biographical sketch summary this chapter aims to present the main environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry throughout the stages of exploration and discovery of new deposits, hydrocarbon production and oil refining.

Like the previous oil spills, the bp oil spill spilled about 780,000 cubic meters, with a huge impact to the environment. The impacts of spilled oil on birds have long been known jessup and leighton, 1996. They can also cause physical, mental, and financial stress to people as individuals. Page 4 summary of information concerning the ecological and economic impacts of the bp deepwater horizon oil spill disaster 57 square miles around the wellhead. But while images of seabirds smothered in oil are what many people associate with oil spills, much of the oil that leaks because of human activities does so on land. Predicting impacts of oil spills can ecological science. All types of oil share chemical and physical properties that produce similar effects on the environment. The major focus of this research was on the oil spills near the gulf of mexico. If the fallout of previous catastrophic oil spills is any indication, it will be decades. Specifically it seeks to understand the deleterious impact of oil spillage on the physical. Restoration of environmental damage following marine oil spills. The report is available only in electronic format from neris homepage. Regional economic impact of oil spills springerlink.

Ultimately, the marine environment removes spilled oil through longterm. The effects of oil spills throughout the world may be the same since the vegetation. Although there have been numerous oil spills in history, these two spills were chosen because they were the largest in volume and time. Emerging spill risks include increased maritime activity in the arctic, deepwater exploration and development, and the rapid expansion of rail transport of crude oil. Polar landscapes are home to a rich diversity of wildlife that are under threat from pollution, oil and gas development, overfishing, and climate change. An electronic copy of this document can be found on the national assembly. A single gallon of oil can create an oil slick up to a couple of acres in size. Since oil floats, fish and other marine animals are not generally affected to the same extent as airbreathing vertebrates. Summary of information concerning the ecological and. Once the line is repaired, we will pressure test the. In this lesson youll learn about how oil is cleaned up after a spill and the effects spilled oil has on the environment.

Shoreline assessment and environmental impacts from the mt westchester oil spill in the mississippi river pdf 12 pp, 337k jaqueline michel research planning, inc. The oil caused a large number of deaths in wildlife such as birds, lobsters, surf clams and sea stars. Understanding oil spills and oil spill response pdf epa. Environmental toxicology and chemistrys virtual issue on polar environments showcase some of the research that is being conducted to help protect these extreme environments.

Health effects of oil spills and implications for public. Where oil has been eliminated from the scene, the longterm environmental impacts are generally confined to community structure anomalies that persist because of. The production loss in salmon aquaculture and the regional income impact is. Causes, consequences, prevention, and countermeasures. The objective of the workshop was to bring together the oil spill response community experienced andor responsible for responding to freshwater crude oil or petroleum product spills, and to develop strategies through.

Oil spills are caused by the petroleum hydrocarbon from tankers, offshore platforms, wells, and drilling rigs or by refined petroleum products, such as diesel and gasoline. Potential environmental impacts of oil spills in greenland. The national oil and hazardous substances pollution contingency plan 40 cfr part 300, referred to subsequently as the national contingency plan ncp, is the principal federal mechanism for operations pertaining to the identification, containment, and cleanup of releases of oil and hazardous substances in the coastal united states. Oil spills have raised environmental concerns for decades. The model is implemented with the data of a potential oil spill interacting with the salmon aquaculture industry in northern norway. Depending on the magnitude of the spill and its location, the effects can vary, ranging from minimal to serious ones. For instance, oil spills can have a major impact on the temporary animal and fish loss of habitat. The net environmental benefit analysis neba was developed for effective oil spill preparedness and response. Oil spill research strategy 1 introduction the environmental protection agencys epa oil spill research program has been in existence since 1990, following the exxon valdez oil spill and enactment of the oil pollution act of 1990 opa90. Estimated 344 bbls remained on the facility impacting scoriagravel pad estimated 33 bbls offsite impacting topsoil of adjacent cultivated field low lying vegetated area note. However, this scenario is rare but most oil spills are due to oil tankers. Of the many affected communities, one important habitat was the trustom pond national wildlife refuge. Environmental impacts, exploration, production, refining, oil, natural gas.

See also noaa, injury assessment guidance document for natural. Health effects of oil spills and implications for public health planning and research angela eykelbosh, msc, phd introduction two major pipeline projects have been proposed to transport petroleum products from alberta to the british columbian coast. Oil spills can damage the environment and the wildlife and marine life that depend on it. Freshwater spills symposium 2002 agenda, presentations.

The inland water transport is of great importance in european economy. Options for minimizing environmental impacts of freshwater. Environmental impacts that occur during production of crude oil and natural gas would mostly occur from longterm habitat change within the oil and gas field, production activities including facility component maintenance or replacement, waste management e. Oil is very useful to us but is harmful if it gets into the environment. Environmental response team, the epa office of research and development, the u. When oil spills occur in the marine environment, many species of wildlife in that ecosystem may be either directly or indirectly impacted.

The national oil and hazardous substances pollution. The environmental impact a specific action may have can be analyzed using a life cycle assessment, which is the process of observing a product from its cradle to grave and determining the impacts associated with it at each step. The pipelines may start leaking due to lack of maintenance. Drilling in the arctic what is the environmental impact. Leighton, 1993, with effects ranging from slight fouling requiring no treatment to acute mortality from hypothermia to acutechronic toxicity from ingested petroleum. The impact of oil spills research briefing national assembly for. This study has become very imperative due to the environmental degradation occasioned by oil spill in odugboro community. National environmental research institute, denmark. This is because marine oil spills can have a serious economic impact on coastal activities.

The framework can be used to clarify the complexity of oil spill impacts, identify lessons that may be transferable from other oil spill. When oil is spilled or leaked into in waterways and the ocean, it spreads very quickly with the help of wind and currents. However, if the spills are in shallow or confined waters, or if dispersal agents cause a lot of oil to reach the sea floor, huge damage can be caused to these species. But even at a larger social level, like a community, oil spills can threaten the order of things. These spills can be devastating because they disrupt what we know as the food chain. The international tanker owners pollution federation ltd 1999. The opa90 authorizes the epa office of research and development ord to conduct oil spill research. The environment is really in a dangerous situation if it is contaminated. Chapter five discusses in greater detail how oil spills impact wildlife. Short and longterm health impacts of marine and terrestrial oil spills. In a major incident the shortterm environmental impact can be severe, causing.

The behavior and effects of oil spills in aquatic environments. Manual removal and raking of thick oil and heavily oiled vegetation from a. This article demonstrates an approach of coupling an environmental model to io analysis which aims to quantify the regional economic impact of an environmental accident. A undp report states that there have been a total of 6,817 oil spills between 1976 and 2001. Essay about oil spills and how they affect the environment. Environmental and economic impacts of crude oil and natural gas production in developing countries article pdf available december 2016 with 4,483 reads how we measure reads. As a result, our predictive capability is probably better for oil spills than for many other types of marine pollutant. The bp oil slick had spread over 580 square miles in just three days.

Consequently, the effects of oil pollution are sufficiently well understood to allow for broad indications of the scale and duration of damage for a given incident. As previously described, when oil is present in the environment, it is either dispersed in the top layer of the water littoral zone or remains on the surface and, consequently, on. Oil spills can cause a wide range of impacts in the marine environment and are often portrayed by the media as environmental disasters with dire consequences predicted for the survival of marine flora and fauna. Ultimately, the marine environment removes spilled oil through long term. Oil spills and how they affect the environment oil spills, no matter how small or large, effect the worlds environment by their destroying and poisoning any habitat they come in contact with, mainly the water though. Responsible for 2,727 or 75% of spills in russias largest oil province yugra in 2011 while extracting only 25% of the total regional output that year. Ultimately, the impact of oil on marine organisms depends on the fate of the oil. Longterm environmental impact of oil spills sciencedirect.

Pdf oil spill problems and management in the niger delta. Case of the ossa ii pipeline spill in bolivia 2000 pdf 16 pp, 296k charles getter polaris applied science, inc. Oil spills in the niger delta extent of the problem. However, in most cases, environmental recovery is relatively swift and is complete within 210 years. Causes and effects of oil spill on our environment earth. Pdf environmental and economic impacts of crude oil and.