The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine Life

The general impacts of oil spill can be determined by a number of features. These include meteorological conditions and ecological settings besides oil conformation and its nearness to the shoreline. Nonetheless, certain ways in which oil spillage might influence the seafaring life encompass habitat polluting, excessive predation and declined reproduction, as well as internal impairment and poisoning (Etkin, 2001, p. 1292).

Fouling of the Habitat

The oceanic habitat such as the shorelines, inshore shallow waters, as well as the seaside and offshore waters are affected in one way or the other by oil spills. The pelagic maritime ecosystem is destructed by the spillage of oil that causes fouling on these water bodies (Casini, Fossi, Leonzio & Renzoni, 2003, p.298).

The malignant effects are directly evident in the life of organisms and sea creatures that depend on such habitats. For a number of decades, oil seepage into the underground surface of water bodies could cause diverse impacts on marine life including birds as illustrated in the diagram below.

Effects of Oil Spill on Birds.

Figure 1: Effects of Oil Spill on Birds

Coastal and Offshore Waters

The ocean currents, winds, and waves disperse the spilt oil over a wide expanse on the surface of water. Fouling causes prompt dilution of oil into water given that the excess concentration of oil increases the levels of viscosity column (Etkin, 2001, p. 1292). In fact, the presence of oil on the offshore or coastal waters may not seem threatening.

However, its impact on marine species is worth mentioning. The destruction caused on marine habitat after the oil fires mostly results from tarry deposits, hefty oil stumbles, and recessed wrecks. In effect, the spillage affects sea rocks, nautical algae, and aquatic invertebrates such as burrowing of crabs.

Inshore Shallow Waters

The unsuitable use of dispersants and resilient exploitation of waves near coastline encourages oil to mix with the column of seawater. It is then necessary to maintain oil concentration in the water body inferior to destructive levels through the weakening capacity of tidal flushing.

On the contrary, the death rate of aquatic life increases owing to the dispersal of light crude and refined products of oil into water. High concentration of oil toxin increases in the shallow habitats thus affecting the sea animals like prawns and dugongs that survive in the sediment and bottom of the shallow waters (Carls, Marty & Hose, 2002, p.164).

Shorelines

As opposed to any other aquatic surrounding, the shorelines are the most vulnerable oceanic habitat to the oil spills. In spite of this, the ecosystem of such habitats provides a strong and resistant tolerance against the serious oceanic traumas.

The coastline organisms according to Ben-David, Williams and Ormseth (2000, p.1387) might be capable of recuperating and enduring the impacts of the oil spills. However, seals and whales fodder and swim near the oil spillage but flee to their safety upon detection. Thus, it is clearly illustrated that aquatic animals are merely left with psychological problems though unharmed.

Increased Predation and Reduced Reproduction

Oil spills can predispose thelives of marine animals like planktons, fish, along with maritime reptile and mammals to the predators. Similarly, the oceanic creatures are prone to reduced chances of reproduction under oil spills (Ridoux, Lafontaine, Bustamate, Caurant, Dabin, Delcroix, Hassani, Meynier, Silva, Simonin, Robert, Spitz, & Canneyt, 2004, p. 380).

For instance, the marine reptile and mammals can easily sink and die once the whole or portion of their body parts are buried with oil. The assertion illustrates that the instantaneous or spill aftermaths can have emotional impact on the spawns and eggs of the marine creatures like sea turtle, reptiles, and fish.

Turtle losing shell due to oil spillage.

Figure 2: Turtle loosing shell due to oil spillage

Planktons

Several zooplankton and phytoplankton comprising of microorganisms and mild planktonic bacteria are sustained by the pelagic ocean and sea regions. Actually, these encompass planktons that settle at the seashore or bottom of the sea like larvae and eggs of invertebrates and fish (Ben-David, Williams & Ormseth, 2000, p. 1383).

High death rates of planktons result from predation. The spills cause environmental changes that force planktonic organisms to migrate to areas where they are more exposed to the predators. The reproduction processes and adult populace diminish due to loss of larvae and eggs caused by oil spills.

Fish

Adult fish prove to be more resistant to the oil influences though young fish tend to remain as the most vulnerable species to the low concentration of oil spillage. In fact, more death rates transpire in water columns having localized and extremely high concentration of the spread oils. The reduced reproduction rate and increased predation during oil spillage on the cultured maritime organisms and fish stock are paramount. The contamination of fish gears up the loss in fish sales.

Marine Reptiles and Mammals

According to Ridoux, Lafontaine, Bustamate, Caurant, Dabin, Delcroix, Hassani, Meynier, Silva, Simonin, Robert, Spitz and Canneyt (2004, p.386), lack of proper aeration forces cetaceans, dolphins, and whales to risk death due to floating. The sea mammals like otters and seals suffer from oil spillage since they spend most of their spare time in the coastline.

Besides, the animals such as seal pup that control their body fevers using fur perishfrom hypothermia during conditions caused by oil spills. Reptiles like sea snakes, iguanas, and turtles suffer from floating oils. As a result, the lives of sea mammals and reptiles are in danger of extinction through human activities and exposure due to oil spills. See the figure below.

Bird dying due to oil spill.

Figure 3: Bird dying due to oil spill

Poisoning and Internal Mutilation

Oil spill can lead animals to the swallowing of poisonous substances that could cause internal mutilation. The consequences may consist of the harm of impervious structure, livers, heart, kidney, and body chambers that might lead to sores. Likewise, oil fumes cause damage to the lungs and eyes while oil spills continue to come to the surface of water columns as they evaporate. Incase such oil fumes become plenty, aquatic animals could probably fall asleep hence drowned (Alonso-Alvarez, Perez & Velando, 2007, p. 103).

Sea Grass

The humid and temperate water bodies house diverse species of sea grass. The sea grass provides several organisms with vastly dynamic and varied ecological units like sheltering. The dire impacts on the sea grass and allied organisms come when the poisonous constituents of spilt oil mix with the inshore narrow water columns at unexpected concentration.

Internal mutilation and poisoning might results during the cleanup process due to sea-grass being pulled up by explosive anchors and vessel propellers. The effect knocks off the balance of marine ecosystem (Casini, Fossi, Leonzio & Renzoni, 2003, p.300).

Corals

The unprotected coastlines revel in the assorted and opulent ecosystem-safetythat forms the coral reefs. It takes a long time for the coral reefs to recuperate from the effect of oil spills. The greatest danger that the coral reefs face from the oil spills comes from the dispersed oil.

The animals that depend on the coral reefs suffer from the toxicity that in turn causes interruption in the hatching behaviors and propagation systems (Velando, Perez & Alonso-Alvarez, 2007, p. 107). The intoxication causes diminished shell thickness, egg fertilization, ability to reproduce, and reduced number of produced eggs.

Mangroves

These are vegetations and foliage that breeds at the sidelines of the sheltered sub-tropical and humid water bodies besides being tolerant to salty conditions. The mangrove habitat is ideal for shrimps and fish eggs bedside providing homes for invertebrates, oysters, and crabs.

The mangrove becomes particularly vulnerable to such fuel spillages. Accordingly, oil spillage causes death to the mangroves following the blockade ofaeration in the root system. The damage on mangrove habitation as well as the straight oil effect tends to impact the organisms living in the ecosystem (Carls, Marty & Hose, 2002, p.173).

Conclusion

The aquatic milieu faces noxiousness and suffocation as main mechanisms from the impactsof oil spills. However, the intensity of the effects depends on the nature of oil and the extent of dispersion about the environment and its sensitivity to the pollution of oil. The coastline proves to be the most subtle habitat to the oil spills posing much danger to the existing sea creatures.

The long-term impacts of oil spillage are infrequent while the short-term effects are coming out to be severe. For that reason, the spilt oil should be removed from the water bodies immediately in order to boost the marine ecosystem. In order to allay the damages, an operative execution and design for the elimination of the spilt oil is imperative.

Recommendations

In order to implement and strategize for an effective rejoinder to the oil smeared marine environment, it is significant to evaluate the likely impact and scale of damage tomaritime life. Further, it is recommended that the employment of natural actions might work well with marine environs. These comprise of emulsification, biodegradation, and oxidation. Indeed, these help in speeding up the retrieval of the impacted milieu while reducing the intensity of oil spilt into the water bodies (Long & Holdway, 2002, p.4).

Emulsification

The progression is a practice that forms creams of small water and drops oil. Such suspensions greatly impede response as well as the conditioning actions after being created via stroking waves. The kinds of well-known suspensions include lubricant within water and water within lubricants (russet styling gel).

In fact, the russet-styling gel suspensions hang on the milieu for a while or sometimes take longer periods. Conversely, the oil-in-water cream tends to enable the spilt oil to disappear through sinking into the surface after which it provides the optical illusion that oil has disappeared.

Biodegradation

It transpires during the consumption of oil hydrocarbons by the bacterial microorganisms. In fact, the microorganisms help indecreasing the extent of the spilt oil to endure biodegradation. Hence, bio-degradation can function properly under temperate stream surroundings.

Oxidation

This process arises after soluble wet composites become formed from mixing lubricated hydrocarbons with gas (co2) and stream (h2o). The course oxidizes the thick spills to form tar balls that in sequence linger into the environs towash-upthe seashores after oil emission.

References

Alonso-Alvarez, C., Perez, C. & Velando, A. (2007). Effects of acute exposure to heavy fuel oil from the Prestige spill on a seabird. Aquatic Toxicology,84(2), 103-110.

Ben-David, M., Williams, T. & Ormseth.A. (2000). Effects of oiling on exercise physiology and diving behavior of river otters: A captive study. Canadian Journal of Zoology,78(1), 1380-1390.

Carls, M., Marty, G., & Hose, J. (2002). Synthesis of the toxicological impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Fish and Aquatic Science, 59(1), 153–172.

Casini, S., Fossi, M., Leonzio, C. & Renzoni, A. (2003). Review: Porphyrins as biomarkers for hazard assessment of bird populations: Destructive and non-destructive use. Ecotoxicology, 12(3), 297-305.

Etkin, D. (2001). Analysis of oil spill trends in the United States and worldwide. 2001 International Oil Spill Conference, 1291-1300.

Long, S. & Holdway, D. (2002). Acute toxicity of crude and dispersed oil to octopus pallidus hatchlings. Water Research, 36(3), 2769-2776.

Ridoux, V., Lafontaine, L., Bustamate, P., Caurant, F., Dabin, W., Delcroix, C., Hassani, S., Meynier, L., Silva, V., Simonin, S., Robert, M., Spitz, J., & Canneyt, O. (2004). The impact of the “Erika” oil spill on pelagic and coastal marine mammals: Combining demographic, ecological, trace metals and biomarker evidences. Aquatic Living Resources, 17(3), 379-387.

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The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine Life

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