discussion 7

docx

School

Georgia State University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1112

Subject

Geography

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by CountSummer14951

On April 20, 2010, an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, a drilling rig leased by the oil company BP, set off a blaze that killed 11 crew members. Two days later, it sank about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast and crude oil began gushing out of a broken pipe 5,000 feet below the surface. a) What role did water currents play in the environmental damage that occurred as a result along the Gulf Coast? b) What information do you think an oceanographer would need to know when determining where the oil would travel? c) How bad were the biological impacts (ex. animals, fisheries, habitats, etc...) to shoreline habitats or wildlife from the oil spill? (Your response must be 100 words at minimum for full credit) Respond reflectively to at least two of your peers. Were the impacts they mentioned similar to yours? In what ways? (Remember responses to other students must be a minimum of five full sentences) Water currents and wind are responsible for the movement of the oil after the Deepwater Horizon spill. This explosion harmed many ocean plants and animals because it had such a wide reach. The oil that floated to the surface of the water are pushed by the Tradewinds and moved quickly. Some of the oil was moved by the deeper currents, making a 22-mile-long plume of oil during the spill. This means more ocean life was impacted by the oil spill than just where the explosion happened, much more ocean life. For an oceanographer, or a person who studies the ocean, to determine where the oil would travel, they would need to know what the wind, currents, tides and other weather patterns were at the time and place of the event. This event was heartbreaking to research. The impact on the area of the oil spill and surrounding areas was huge. The oil on sea turtles makes it hard for them to swim. Some of the turtles also ingested the oil, which was toxic for them, of course. A lot of turtles died or had health effects that caused them to not be able to reproduce. The turtle population was greatly affected by this event. Other animals also suffered, dolphins that were exposed to the oil developed lung disease, infections, and many of them died. According to NOAA.gov, this event was the “largest and longest lasting cetacean mortality event ever recorded for the northern Gulf of Mexico.” https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2010-2014-cetacean- unusual-mortality-event-northern-gulf-mexico -

Discover more documents: Sign up today!

Unlock a world of knowledge! Explore tailored content for a richer learning experience. Here's what you'll get: