The Gulf Oil Spill Study Guide

Objectives/Study Guide

• Remember:

  • Describe how the Deepwater Horizon accident happened in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Identify the main ways used to clean up the oil spill.

• Understand:

  • Explain how different cleanup techniques were used to respond to the oil spill.

• Apply:

  • Compare what people first thought would happen with the actual harm seen.

• Analyze:

  • Analyze why so few fish were harmed in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon spill.

  • Compare what the media said about the oil spill's reach and damage with what scientists found.

• Evaluate:

  • Evaluate how well different cleanup techniques worked during the spill response.

  • Check if media claims about bad damage to Florida and the East Coast were true, using science.

Overview of the Gulf Oil Spill

• On April 20, 2010, an oil rig called Deepwater Horizon, run by BP, exploded. This caused the biggest oil spill in the ocean ever.

• President Obama called it the "greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history".

• David Axelrod, an advisor to the President, said it was "the greatest environmental catastrophe of all time". He thought it was worse than events like the Dust Bowl in the 1930s or when forests in Europe were destroyed long ago.

• People still ask if this event was truly worse than other big disasters.

Details of the Deepwater Horizon Incident

• Explosion Date: April 20, 2010.

• Location: Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles offshore, in 5,000 feet of water.

• Rig Information: The Deepwater Horizon was a ten-year-old oil rig that floated on the water.

• Accident Details: - Pressurized gas called methane shot out of the well. It went into a pipe (marine riser), caught fire, and blew up the rig.

  • Out of 126 people on the rig, 94 were saved. 17 were hurt. 11 workers were never found.

Equipment Involved in the Spill

• Drilling Riser:

  • This is a big, flexible pipe that connects the oil well on the seabed to the drilling rig. It's used for drilling, getting oil out, and sending it away.

  • Inside it is the Blowout Preventer (BOP). The BOP is a mechanical seal that should stop oil from coming out uncontrollably.

• Blowout Preventer (BOP):

  • This is a very important safety device that did not work during the accident.

Anatomy of the Oil Spill

• After the explosion, underwater cameras saw oil and gas leaking from the seabed. This was about 42 miles from the Louisiana coast.

• About $4.9$ million barrels of oil spilled out. The leak was finally stopped on July 15, 2010. This was almost three months after the explosion.

Factors Affecting Predictions of Damage

• What people first thought would happen:

  • News reports predicted the oil would destroy Florida’s west coast. They also said it would pollute the East Coast up to Cape Cod, and maybe even reach Europe.

  • People believed the spill would seriously harm the fishing and shrimp businesses for a long time. Some even thought the whole seafood industry would collapse.

• What actually happened:

  • Even though many feared the worst, a huge disaster did not happen.

  • Experts found that things could have been much worse. The real harm to big sea animals was less than expected.

Cleanup Response

• How the oil was cleaned up:

  • Oil was collected directly from the leak using special tools.

  • Oil on the water's surface was set on fire and burned.

  • Chemicals called dispersants were used. They broke the oil into tiny drops so small living things (microorganisms) could eat them.

  • Some oil naturally evaporated into the air.

  • Wind and waves helped dissolve and spread the oil out.

  • Heavy oil particles sank to the bottom of the ocean.

• Financial Costs of Cleanup:

  • BP spent over $65$ billion on legal fees, settlements, and cleanup operations following the spill.

Impact on Wildlife and Environment

• Damage to Animals and Nature: - People found $6,104$ dead birds, $609$ dead sea turtles, and $100$ dead dolphins.

  • The government stopped oil drilling for a time. This pause cost the local economy billions of dollars.

Long-term Observations and Lessons Learned

• By the end of $2015$, reports showed that the Gulf Coast had healed. Tourism was better, fishing was good, and the whole natural environment was healthier.

• Early warnings of long-term destruction were not true. Animal groups, like Brown Pelicans, stayed the same or got better.

Conclusion - Reflecting on the Incident

• The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was called a “near catastrophe”. This means it was almost a huge disaster. It shows we need much better safety when drilling for oil.

• How nature and the economy recovered was complicated. This showed that natural environments and human businesses are always changing and connected.

• Overall, how people handled the spill showed how important it is to be ready and able to recover (resilient) in both nature and business.