Deepwater Horizon - Largest oil spill in the Marine environment
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| Figure 1: Fire response to Deepwater Horizon oil rig Source: cdn.britannica.com |
Deepwater Horizon oil spill was occurred in Deepwater Horizon oil rig which is located in Gulf of Mexico on 20th April, 2010. The oil rig was established on the oil well located in the sea bed 1522 meters below the sea surface. The concrete that was applied to seal the oil well had fractured due to the inability to withstand the pressure from the natural gases of the oil well. After the fracture of the concrete the natural gas was released and travelled to the oil rig and ignited. The accident was accounted for killing 11 workers and injuring 17.
Oil began to flow out of the oil well without any barrier and the amount released was estimated to 4 million barrels of oil throughout 87 days. Finally after several efforts and manures ( 'top kill' , 'static kill' and 'bottom kill') the oil leakage was capped on 15th July 2010 and sealed by pumping cement on 17th September 2010.
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| Figure 2: Map of the oil spill effects Source: cdn.britannica.com |
Several cleanup efforts were taken though the impact was severe to the environment. The escaped oil slick was spreading throughout the area of 57500 square miles. About 1.8 million dispersant chemicals were added to emulsify the oil and help bacterial degradation.
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| Figure 3: Controlled burning of leaked oil Source: cdn.britannica.com |
Booms were deployed and contained the oil spreading and the oil was siphoned out or did controlled burning.
The effects of Deepwater horizon oil spill was immense to the marine ecosystems.
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| Figure 4: Affected beach from the oil spill Source: cdn.britannica.com |
The coastal ecosystems and thousands of marine organisms such as sea birds (Brown Pelicans), sea turtles, mammals (Whales, dolphins), cetaceans, invertebrates was covered with oil and many died.
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| Figure 4: Brown Pelicans covered with oil Source: cdn.britannica.com |
Many marine organisms lost their habitats. Furthermore the contaminants from oil spill has made the marine organisms vulnerable for many diseases. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) had caused heart defects in commercially valuable species such as Tuna. Populations of the marine organisms of the affected areas had rapidly decreased and caused an imbalanced ecosystem. It is estimated that 1770 km of shoreline was polluted. Tourism was affected by the polluted beaches and the fisheries was affected by the containment of oil in fishing grounds. These impacts left many unemployed people causing negative impacts on economy as well.
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