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The 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can be placed into context of other major oil-well blowouts. Three large spills include (Schenkman, 2010):

1. IXTOC 1. It was the biggest spill witha daily outflow of 30,000 barrels per day initially, dropping to 10,000 barrels per day. The flow was stopped after eight months and 3.5 million barrels were released into the Gulf of Mexico about 80 km offshore of Yucatan, Mexico in 1979.
2. Ekofisk. It released 202,000 barrels of oil about 250 km off the coast on Norway in the North Sea in 1977.
3. Santa Barbara. This relatively small spill released 100,000 barrels of oil into the Santa Barbara Channel offshore of Santa Barbara, California in 1969, resulting in widespread efforts to ban drilling offshore of California and other coasts of the US.

Cleaning Up After Oil Spills

No two oil spills are the same because of the variation in oil types, locations and weather conditions involved. However, broadly speaking, there are four main methods of response.

1. Leave the oil alone so that it breaks down by natural means.
2. Contain the spill with booms and collect it from the water surface using skimmer equipment.
3. Use dispersants to break up the oil and speed its natural biodegradation.
4. Introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten biodegradation.



Oil spill have an immediate effect on marine life, and a longer term effect.

Effects of Oil Spills include:

1. Biological, including physical effects such as smothering and the influence of toxic chemicals.

The animals and plants most at risk are those that could come into contact with a contaminated sea surface. Marine mammals and reptiles; birds that feed by diving or form flocks on the sea; marine life on shorelines; and animals and plants in mariculture facilities.

The most toxic components in oil tend to be those lost rapidly through evaporation when oil is spilt. Because of this, lethal concentrations of toxic components leading to large scale mortalities of marine life are relatively rare, localized and short-lived.

Sub-lethal effects that impair the ability of individual marine organisms to reproduce, grow, feed or perform other functions can be caused by prolonged exposure to a concentration of oil or oil components far lower than will cause death. Sedentary animals in shallow waters such as oysters, mussels and clams that routinely filter large volumes of seawater to extract food are especially likely to accumulate oil components. Whilst these components may not cause any immediate harm, their presence may render such animals unpalatable if they are consumed by man, due to the presence of an oily taste or smell.


This is a temporary problem since the components causing the taint are lost (depurated) when normal conditions are restored.


Processes influencing weathering of oil in the sea.
From Behavior of Oil at Sea.

2. Destruction of coastal habitats.
3. Damage to boats and gear used for fishing, and loss of market for fish if buyers suspect the fish may be contaminated by the oil spill.

The long-term damages are more benign.

1. Smaller, more volatile molecules in oil quickly evaporate or oxidize. These molecules are the most toxic to life.
2. Larger, less volatile molecules are not toxic. We put asphalt, which is mostly the larger oil molecules, on roads and driveways and grass grows through the cracks in the asphalt. And, the asphalt quickly oxidizes. Few roads are useful after a decade because the asphalt oxidizes, hardens, and breaks up. The asphalt must be replaced.
3. Tar has been used for many purposes for centuries with little ill effect.

Lessons Learned

We have learned much from previous oils spills. What can we do to minimize environmental damage? Sometimes the clean up is worse than the spill. The NOAA has been monitoring Prince William Sound, the location of the spill, and they have amassed information on Results, Lessons Learned, and Implications.


High-pressure, hot-water cleaning causes short-term and long-term damage.
3. Stating that cleanup does "more harm than good" while to some extent true, is a bit of an oversimplification. Still, we have learned that:
1. The use of detergents, which are toxic to marine life, to disperse the oil.
2. The use of steam and hot water to clean rocks, which kills all organisms on the rocks.

Current evidence implies that oiled and hot-water washed sites initially suffered more severe declines in population abundance than oiled and not-washed sites.


4. Any cleanup that changes the physical makeup of the area delays recovery. In particular, Large scale excavation of gravel beaches, which delays recovery for many years.
5. Oil that penetrates deeply into sand or sediments can stay fresh for years and be released slowly back into the water. Cleanup is difficult because it disrupts the physical state of the area. Recovery is delayed many years.
6. Using water to flush away oil may remove fine sediment needed by organisms.