Deepwater Oil Spill
In this Case Assignment you will learn about the ecosystems that make up the regions impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Using resources from the NOAA and your own independent research, write a 3-4 page paper that summarizes the characteristics of each ecosystem including organisms commonly found there, potential threats based on their relative location to the spill, and the economic impact of damages in these communities.
Begin your research using diagrams in the report, Natural Resource Damage Assessment for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill presented in a B-WET Workshop on April 1, 2011, and the status updatesprovided in April 2012 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This and other resources are available on the NOAA website: http://www(dot)gulfspillrestoration(dot)noaa(dot)gov
In your report,
For the following ecosystems:
- Marine Wetlands
- Shoreline and Beaches
- Nearshore benthos
- Photic zone
- Deep benthos
Include:
- An introduction of the characteristics of the ecosytem community
- The level of the threat posed by the oil spill
- The affected species
- The type of surveys conducted to gather the data
- The economic and environmental cost associated with the damage
For a summary, view the PowerPoint presentation: Deepwater Oil Spill
Assignment Expectations
This paper should be approximately 3 pages long and reflect the information contained in the resources provided above. When summarizing the information you read from the NOAA website, or any resources you use, be sure to synthesize the information into your own words, and cite the references. Please use complete sentences and write your paper in essay format using subheadings to organize the required topics.
Deepwater Oil Spill
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Deepwater Oil Spill
Introduction to Deepwater Ecosystem Characteristics
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Researchers working on the oil spill. (Source: noaa.gov, 2014).
The sea represents the largest habitat on the planet Earth since it covers an area representing almost 70 percent of the total Earth space. The temperatures of the deep sea vary from about 40C to 10C. The salinity of the seawater is relatively constant throughout. The salinity below 2000 meters is around 35 percent, decreasing to 34.65 percent at the very deepest points (marbef.org, 2010). The oxygen concentration is near saturation. When the seawater is further away from its entry point, oxygen concentration goes down, due to metabolic processes. The ecosystem of deep sea waters is characterized by organisms that have various adaptations in order to survive. Animals in the deep sea find it difficult to obtain food, as there is no plenty of plant growth. The organisms also have adaptations to utilize the little sunlight that penetrates these depths. The marine ecosystem forms part of the earth’s aquatic ecosystem (marbef.org, 2009). The organisms hosted by the deep-water ecosystem, like all other ecosystems on the earth, depend on each other for survival. There is a systematic food chain, which has to be kept so as to sustain the ecosystem. The organisms also depend on the water for food, oxygen and habitat.
Threat level
The 2010 deep-water horizon oil spill was one of the worst environmental disasters in recorded history. The large amount of oil spilled into the open sea posed an environmental disaster of monumental levels. Not only the spill, but also the cleanup process had enormous effects to the environment (McCoy, & Salermo, 2010). The spill affected the marine ecosystems, such as marine wetlands, shoreline and beaches, near shore benthos, photic zone and deep benthos. The spill cut off the oxygen supply to these organisms, as the oil covered the water and prevented oxygen from dissolving. This led to death of several marine lives. Secondly, the oil reduced the amount of sunlight that entered the ocean’s deep parts hence disturbing the light balance in these parts. The oil ultimately found its way into the food chain, affecting the organisms. The dispersants from the oil have since killed plankton, which is crucial in the marine food chain (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2010). This affects the sustenance of the marine ecosystem, and it has been projected that it will take a very long time to regain normality.
Affected Species
The deep-water oil spill had a toll mostly on marine species. There are well over 500 species whose lives have been put to risk and their future generations put in doubt. The main species that were affected include cetaceans (dolphins and whales), sea turtles, birds and fishes. There are several other small groups of species, such as planktons, which were affected in a major way (Corn, 2010). Cetaceans include dolphins and whales. When they come to the surface for air, the oil gets into th...