Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Analysis

Professors John Wiens and David Page spent many years studying theses effects of the oil spill and they presented their findings at the International Oil Spill Conference in Seattle, March 8-11, 1999. Their findings contain the most recent results of the ongoing studies in Prince William Sound. Through extensive work with three different groups of animals affected by the spill, they have exhibited a remarkable recovery by the ecosystem of Prince William Sound (Wiens, Page et al.).

They failed to include with these evaluations any sources of error in the data they disclosed. For example, inconclusive data surrounding specific species prior to the spill in Prince William Sound or the inexperience scientists had in dealing with a spill of this magnitude. This paper will focus on investigating the news media’s coverage of the spill, in light of scientific research performed, on the environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The environmental impacts studied will demonstrate the errors in the news media’s reporting and ultimate irresponsible reporting of the spill.

On April 20, 2010, one of BP’s drilling wells below the Gulf of Mexico exploded and caused a disastrous oil spill. Thousands of barrels of crude oil flowed into the gulf every day, causing widespread pollution in the Gulf of Mexico (Law Brain, n.d). The habitats of many bird species are threatened by this oil spill.

These teams are looking to see how the remaining oil left in the Prince William Sound can affect the local wildlife. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, or the NOAA, says that “spilled oil can harm living things because its chemical constituents are Poisonous. This can affect organisms both from internal exposure to oil through ingestion or inhalation and from external exposure through skin and eye irritation. Oil can also smother some small species of fish or invertebrates and coat feathers and fur, reducing birds' and mammals' ability to maintain their body temperatures” (NOAA, N.d). The spill from the crashed ship resulted in millions of animals to die after they ingested a massive Dose of the oil, and that has created a massive Environmental Hazard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until years later that researchers found out the extent of the Exxon Valdez’s damage and just how large the Concentration of the oil was. According to Sara Graham of Scientific American, “the Exxon Valdez spilled 42 million liters of crude oil and contaminated 1,990 kilometers of shoreline. Some 2,000 sea otters, 302 harbor seals and about 250,000 seabirds died in the days immediately following the spill” (Graham, 2003). But that wasn’t the end of it. The oil has shown incredible Persistence and almost thirty years after the Exxon Valdez disaster occurred, we still feel the many Sublethal Effects that the spill had on the Alaskan

In fact, of the tens of millions of gallons of oil that enter North American oceans each year due to human activities, only 8 percent comes from tanker or oil pipeline spills, according to the 2003 book Oil in the Sea III (Transportation Research Board and National Research Council) by the U.S. National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, which is still considered the authority on oil-spill data (Geographic).” Oil ends up in oceans very frequently, and is extremely bad for both marine wildlife and the environment as a

Twenty seven years ago, tragedy struck the cold Pacific waters of Bligh reef in Alaska. March 24, 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill took place. It was a devastating and horrific event that took more life than you can could count within the same hour. It is said to be the cause of mischeck and improper equipment supply. The cause was so big, no one noticed it. Such a massacre of wildlife could have been avoided if only they took the time to care.

Oil spills from offshore drilling or shipping are huge threats to the sea otter population. In 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound killed several thousand sea otters. Sea otters are still threatened by events like

Colwell, R. R. 2014. "Understanding The Effects Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill". Bioscience 64 (9): 755-755. doi:10.1093/biosci/biu145.

“One of the last best places on earth”-Holleman, Marybeth. The water was innocently untouched before the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef. As oil spillage only grew cleanup began to take place right away. The recovery was a long process due to lack of efforts. In addition, discussions formed at the scene questioning if this was a crime, an accident, or a felony (Lewis, G). Although the Exxon Valdez oil spill was one of the most devastating environmental disasters, the response to the following oil spills didn’t significantly improve.

Gill, Duane A., J. Steven Picou, and Liesel A. Ritchie. "The Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills: a

In this century, there are nothing new about human corruption of the earth. However, in this article said that today, scientists has investigated the effects of Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 on Alaskan communities and ecosystems for embryonic salmon and herring. Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska shows that the spill may had much greater impacts on spawning fish than previously recognized because of crude oil can develop hidden heart defects that adjustment for their later survival.

The oil spill created long term problems for the living organisms that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico. The oil covered the feathers of birds, making them unable to float at the surface. The oil killed some of the deep sea coral as far as seven miles away from the site. Mammals ingested the oil, which resulted in some of the mammals having internal bleeding and ulcers. This has also lead to an increase in sea turtles stranding, sick dolphins, and a decrease in population of many marine animals. This disaster stuck during the breeding season for many species of wildlife. “The oil’s toxicity may have hit egg and larval organisms immediately”, which could have wiping out those age classes. Population dips and cascading food web has occurred due to

The Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010 on the Gulf of Mexico and Its Surrounding Communities

In Santa Barbara, California, in 1969, even though the spilled oil was not even very large, thousands of dolphins, seals, and birds were killed (Ivanovich, and Hays, 2008). Moreover, in the Gulf of Mexico, 82,000 birds, roughly 6,165 sea turtles, approximately 25,900 marine mammals, and indefinite amount of oysters, fishes, corals, and crabs have been harmed or killed by the spilled oil. Additionally, the spilled has killed many aquatic plants. ( A Center for Biological Diversity Report, 2008). As a result, vegetation, which are the most essential part of the ecological pyramid, and other animals will be affected negatively by the dangerous impact of the spilled oil, which probably is going to cause some problems in the ecological pyramid. In fact, any defect in the ecological pyramid may become a dreadful problem that occurs an ecological

Deepwater Horizon oil Spill: BP’s drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico had an explosion in April 2010, causing the “largest oil spill catastrophe in the petroleum industry history”. It caused the death of 11 men and injury to several others. “More than 150,000 barrels of crude oil gushed into the sea, every day, for almost 5 months and up to 68,000 square miles of the Gulf 's surface were covered” (1).