Page 88 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY

• Property value reduction occurs of whales and dolphins, making it
depending on the magnitude of the oil
spill and it aff ects all the properties in the
area exposed to the oil spill.
• Large oil spills which usually occur in
the oceans aff ect commercial fi shermen,
seamen living in the aff ected areas and
ship workers on the ships near the location
of the oil spill.
• Fishermen and local ship workers can lose
their jobs due to government bans and
restrictions on fi shing for extended periods
of time. Until the oil spill is stopped and
the clean-up is complete, thousands of
square miles may be restricted which can
create economic slowdowns.
• When an oil slick from a large oil spill is
surrounded by a beach, the oil coats and
clings to every rock and grain of sand.
If the oil washes into coastal marshes,
mangrove forests or other wetlands,
fi brous plants and grasses absorb the oil.
Th is can damage the plants and make the
whole area unsuitable as a wildlife habitat.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, an Oil Spill
Response team and US Coast Guard National Strike
Force cleaning the oil spill at channel on November
4, 2012 in Brooklyn, NY
• Oil spills kill marine mammals such as
whales, dolphins, seals and sea otters.
Th e oil sometimes clogs the blowholes
oil slick: a fi lm or layer of oil fl oating on an expanse of water
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impossible for the animals to breathe
properly and disrupting their ability to
communicate.
Ways to Prevent Oil Spills
• Every year, leaks in the equipment
should be checked. All fuel lines and hoses
should be in good condition, and seals and
connections should be tight in water-based
transportation systems. All the damaged
parts should be replaced with new fi ttings.
• An oil safety valve should be installed on
the supply line of the heating system. Th is
will automatically shut off the oil supply if
the line breaks.
• Oil tanks should be regularly cleaned.
• Underground tanks that are more than 15
years old should be replaced.
Causes of Oil Spills in the US
In the US, oil spills have happened for several
reasons.
• When oil tankers break down, they may
get stuck on shallow lands. While the
tanker is being hauled out of these lands,
abrasions may cause holes that would lead
to large amounts of oil being released into
the oceanic bodies. Although this form of
oil spill is the most common and receives
the highest media attention, only two per
cent of oil in water bodies is a result of this.
• Oil is spilled naturally from the ocean
fl oor at times due to certain geological
activities. A lot of products are
manufactured using petroleum or various
forms of oil. Th ese products of oil are
washed off into water bodies when they
are disposed off .