Did you know oil, a product that we often use to keep warm, can cause hypothermia in marine animals? As oil mixes with water, it forms a substance called “mousse,” which sticks to feathers and fur. The term oil spill is sometimes used to refer to marine oil spills where there is a release of oil into the ocean, coastal waters or any other water body. On the land the oil spills are usually restricted and their impact can be eliminated quite easily compared to marine oil spills. Oil spills are damaging our marine life and are impacting the animals in a negative way. Animals can be poisoned or suffer internal damage from ingesting oil. Although, the effects of an oil spill depend on a variety of factors, including the weather and other environmental conditions, the composition of the oil and how close it gets to shore it has a negative impact on marine life. Oil spills can affect ocean habitat, both offshore and onshore we need to find a solution before another spill happens again.
Firstly, there are various factors that can lead to oil spills which range from accidents, to carelessness dumping. The main cause of marine oil spills is associated with the oil transportation by tankers and oil pipes which makes up of about 70 percent of all the oil spills. This is mainly caused by captain and crew errors, as they travel across the ocean they become careless, non-observant, and make simple mistakes that cost millions of dollars as well as the lives and habitats of animals in the area and farther. The remaining percent of oil spills comes from offshore drilling, wells and spills of refined petroleum products such as petrol and diesel.
Secondly, many organisms take damage when it comes to oil spills. Oil coated beaches, dead and dying wildlife, damaged fisheries, contaminated water supplies, dying plants and organisms. According to Langangen, “The effects of oil spills on marine biological systems are of great concern, especially in regions with a high biological production of harvested resources such as in the Northeastern Atlantic”(102). The risk of large marine oil spills can increase the mortality of fish and mammals. These are the short-term effects of an oil spill. The long-term effects are much worse and deathly. Oil is capable of building up in the food chain to lethal levels, and destroying or disrupting an area’s ecosystem. Seabirds including puffins, shearwaters, razorbills, and many more are frequently affected by offshore oil spills. These birds live mainly on open water, however; they can also become oiled in coastal waters since they come to coastal islands to breed. Spills can also severely harm turtle eggs and damage fish larvae, causing deformities and deaths. Shellfish and corals are particularly at risk since they can’t escape. If a spill isn’t contained quickly, oil can lie beneath the surface of beaches and the sea, severely affecting marine organisms that burrow, such as crabs, for decades. Since these burrowing creatures are a food source for other animals, the cycle of poisoning can continue for many years.
According to the Intermediate Reading & Composition textbook, oil can cause global warming besides hurting the marine life. “In recent decades, many scientists have sent up an alarm: human beings, they argue, are burning too many fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gasoline), which is producing carbon dioxide and leading to global warming”(369). Because of toxicity of oil and the difficulty cleaning a spill it would take ecosystem years to return back to normal. In the meantime plants, animals, and organisms will suffer and most of them will die. Water covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface. It is the most valuable natural resource we have. For the most part all living organism require water to live, without water we would not exist. Water pollution is a very huge problem. By polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans we are harming our planet.
The societies of this world need to wake up, and not only listen to, but understand that it is time to find better ways of dealing with wastes, rather than nonchalantly dumping it into our oceans. For decades people in societies worldwide have taken advantage of the Earth’s oceans simply by dumping whatever they do not want into them. Apparently, our time of easy disposal has run out, the oceans and the life within are showing distinct signs of poor health. According to The Health and Wellness Blog, there are many ways to prevent these spills. “Begin by identifying all possible hazards, analyzing all vulnerabilities thoroughly, and assessing every risk carefully, to come up with pragmatic response methodologies that you can turn to in case of emergency”. The continuous illegal dumping (or traditional dumping) and accidental spilling of oil into the oceans is beginning to show definite signs of pollution caused stress.
Lastly, by polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans we are harming our planet. Organisms are dying at a very disturbing rate. Our drinking water has become greatly affected as well. Almost every year ocean wildlife, birds and other animals are killed or seriously injured due to tanker ship oil spills that could be prevented. Hence, it is clear that as the world continues to use this powerful, non-renewable resource more and more, accidents are very possible at any time. Moreover, oil spills damage the planet and society in numerous ways. As a result of marine oil spills, the organisms, the environments, and the economy suffer.