The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill By: Dan Ellis
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Once upon a time there was an abundance of sea life in the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of species of fish and other sea life inhabited the Gulf. On April 20th, 2010 an event occurred that drastically changed the life in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, was located about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Owned by Transocean, and leased by BP, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was one of the most powerful rigs in the world. On a seemingly normal day, just when the crew on the rig was finishing up for the day, a geyser of seawater erupted from the marine riser onto the rig. This was followed by an eruption of a slushy combination of mud, methane gas, and water. There
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was a series of explosions and the rig was soon engulfed in flames. The rig was unable to be extinguished, and kept burning for about 36 hours. The rig finally sank to the sea floor on April 22, 2010. Of the 126 crew onboard the rig at the time of the explosion, eleven died and seventeen others were injured. On the afternoon of April 22, a large oil slick began to spread through the former rig site. The U.S Coast Guard soon announced there was a leak where the rig once stood. Experts also announced that they could not shut off the leak. Initial estimates came in around 1,000-5,000 barrels of oil a day. Later estimates showed that the leak was much more severe then initially suspected. When it was all said and done, the oil leaked nonstop for almost three months. Final estimates say that around 62,000 barrels of oil escaped each day, and the total amount of oil was around five million barrels. Everyone was aware that there was going to be a huge impact on the
wildlife that inhabited the Gulf of Mexico, but no one knew just how big the impact would be. The Gulf of Mexico used to be home to an abundance of birds. However, since the oil spill the bird population has been severely affected, and still hasn’t recovered. The reason for this is, oil is very harmful to birds. The slightest drop of oil can easily end up killing them. Physical contact with oil is very dangerous for birds because a bird’s feathers are very important to their survival. When a bird preens themself they are carefully aligning each feather. The positioning of bird’s feathers allows no air or water penetration. If a bird does come in contact with oil, the feathers tend to mat up and separate. This allows the bird’s skin to be open to the elements, which can lead to hypothermia. Instinctively, the bird’s try to get the oil off it’s feathers by preening itself. Preening themselves will override all other natural instincts including feeding and evading predators, making the bird vulnerable to secondary health problems such as severe weight loss, anemia and dehydration. Another negative result of oil-covered birds preening themselves is ingesting the oil. When the oil gets inside, it starts to poison their kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines and other internal organs. Some of the fortunate birds that survive all this would be rescued, and brought into shelter. The birds that are brought to rescue centers are often frightened, highly stressed, cold, and exhausted. Most of them are suffering from the internal effects of oil. The initial procedures may involve cleaning the eyes, nasal and oral passages of oil. Once the birds were stable, they would be washed
thoroughly with soap and water. After they are cleaned off, they would be placed in holding cages for a few days. Then they would soon be released back into the wild. However once the birds were released, there was still oil in the water and on many of the beaches. Many of the newly released birds, would once again come in contact with the oil. Many times the birds do not get rescued again, and died a slow and agonizing death. Before the oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico was filled with a wide variety of marine mammals. There used to be an abundance of species of dolphins and whales in the Gulf, but now they are a rare sight. In the weeks and months following the spill, the effects started to occur. Some of the effects include, organ damage, skin irritation, ulceration, damage to the adrenal system, and behavioral changes. Damage to the immune system leads to secondary infections that causes death and behavioral changes that may affect an individual’s ability to find food or avoid predators. Ingestion of oil also affects mammals in non-lethal ways such as impairing reproduction. Another animal that saw its population take a dramatic turn for the worse is the sea turtle. Before the spill even began, all five species of Sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico were on the endangered species act. Sea turtles feed in convergence zones, areas where air flows and currents meet, which tend to collect floating oil. This made them very vulnerable to coming in contact with oil. Some of the injuries turtles can have are chemical burns, respiratory tract damage, gastrointestinal tract damage and brain damage. The timing of the oil spill did not help much either. The leak occurred in the Treehuger.com  Â
midst of the sea turtle nesting season. Turtles return to the beaches to lay their
eggs. On many of the beaches surrounding the Gulf coast, there was washed up oil. When oil came in contact with the turtle’s eggs it may cause them either to fail to hatch or produce weakened, deformed hatchlings. Those hatchlings that make it successfully from their sandy nests to the sea still face several threats. The oil also killed huge swaths of sea grass, one of the sea turtle’s primary food sources, causing some turtles to starve. The fish population in the Gulf of Mexico had already been decreasing because of over fishing, and lingering affects of hurricane Katrina. The last thing they needed was another set back. Since fish breathe water, they became easily exposed to the oil. Fish that have been exposed to oil may suffer from changes in heart and respiratory rate, enlarged livers, reduced growth, fin erosion and a variety of effects at biochemical and cellular levels. Fish eggs and larvae are at particular risk because they are immobile and can’t escape the spreading oil slick. One species of fish that was already critically endangered before the oil spill is the Bluefin tuna, which is one of the most ulcerative fishing industries in the world. The Bluefin tuna spawns in only two places in the world, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. The breeding success is very important to the survival of the species. The animal that plays the biggest role in role in the ocean is probably smaller than you think. Plankton and other microorganisms set the base for the food chain. These animals are easily killed by exposure to oil. When too many of the same animals die, the food chain gets easily disrupted. When the food chain is out of order, serious population damage can occur throughout the food chain. It can take decades to correct the food chain after it is tampered with.
How do you think this story should end? Do all the animals affected make a full recovery? I don’t know the exact answer to these questions, and only time will tell. However, through my research I have determine that many animals will be seeing the affects of the oil for decades to come, which in turn will mean humans will see the affects for many years also. We are dependent on the sea for jobs, oil and food. Since human error has caused this horrible event, we need to take it upon ourselves to fix it.