Deepwater Horizon oil spill
20 Nisan 2010’da, Meksika Körfezi’ndeki bir petrol platformunda yeni bir petrol kuyusu açıldı. Kısa bir süre sonra kuyudan ham petrol ve doğal gaz akmaya başladı. Deniz yüzeyine sızan petrol ve doğal gaz tutuşarak büyük bir patlamaya neden oldu.
As a result of the explosion, the collapsed platform sank into the water and the pipe connected to the newly drilled well was also damaged. Over the next 80 days, oil continuously flowed from the well into the sea. During this time, engineers tried many different methods to stop the flow. Finally, they managed to cap the well’s flow.
However, millions of liters of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.
The 140 tons of oil spilled into the sea caused a serious environmental disaster. But this is not the first oil spill in the seas. It is highly unlikely to be the last either…
Marine life is in a very difficult state..
Ham petrol koyu renkli, yoğun ve yapışkan bir sıvıdır. Ayrıca çok kötü bir kokuya sahiptir.
In addition to its odor, it also releases very harmful gases. Oil spilled at sea doesn’t mix with water and forms a film on the sea surface. Birds get oil on their feathers when they dive for food or surface to rest. They can sometimes swallow the oil while trying to clean it with their beaks, which can damage their internal organs. Furthermore, crude oil and its gases can damage their eyes. Creatures like dolphins and sea turtles are also affected by oil when they surface to breathe. And aren’t they the only ones? Fish, fish eggs, larvae, crabs, fish scales—in other words, almost all marine life!
Birds with oil on their feathers have difficulty even moving. Because the oil damages their feathers’ waterproof properties, they suffer severe cold. They need to be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent damage to their internal organs and eyes. Therefore, conservationists capture them and gather them in a center. There, the birds’ stomachs are washed, and any oil that has gotten on their feathers, into their eyes, or stuck to their beaks is removed. After being kept under observation for a while, the birds are released back into the wild. However, their chances of survival are still very low, as the oil has already severely damaged many of their internal organs.
How is Oil Cleaned Up in the Sea?
During cleanup operations, solvents can be used to convert oil into seawater. These substances cause the oil layer to break down into pieces, as seen in the photo below. Unfortunately, the chemicals used as solvents can harm fish and other living creatures. They also cause the oil to spread over a wider area.
Crude oil provides food for some marine microorganisms. However, expecting these microorganisms to consume large amounts of crude oil during this process means the death of many marine creatures. When large amounts of oil are spilled, as in the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup efforts must begin as soon as possible. One of the first steps in cleaning up oil in the sea is to prevent it from spreading. To do this, the oil on the sea surface is surrounded by a long, thin boom suspended from a ship. It is then sucked up by special machines and poured into the ship’s tanks. However, this method can only be used in calm seas.
During cleanup operations, solvents that mix oil with seawater can also be used. These substances cause the oil layer to break up into pieces, as shown in the photo below. Unfortunately, the chemicals used as solvents can harm fish and other living creatures. They also cause the oil to spread over larger areas.
Sometimes oil spilled into the sea is burned. However, this method has a very negative side: air pollution…
To clean up the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, ships equipped with special systems that separate oil from seawater were also used.
These ships store the oil and return the seawater to the sea.
Numerous precautions are being taken to protect shorelines and wetlands surrounding streams that flow into the sea from oil. In some places, local residents and volunteers keep watch on the shores, creating barriers with sacks and buoys filled with oil-absorbing materials. Oil that has contaminated the rocks is being removed using pressurized water. All of this is done to prevent the oil from harming the environment and living creatures.
