Mexico, gulf of description and travel four months in a sneakbox. It is widely considered the number one spill worldwide in terms of damage to the environment, however. Scientists are learning the best ways to combat oil spills. The largest oil spills in history mnn mother nature. I am a third grade teacher and the book oil spill was a fantastic addition to my science hands on lesson on causes and effects of oil spills and on the environment and wildlife in america. A boat voyage of 2600 miles down the ohio and mississippi rivers, and along the gulf of mexico, by nathaniel h. Definitely, oil spill is a disaster for natural habitat. Personal stories behind exxon valdez spill in book red light to. The book starts off by talking about the awful oil spill from the exxon valdez tanker ship. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Aug 04, 2010 a state department of environmental conservation study in 2006 found no oil related vapors in samples of indoor air, although a comprehensive study of the health consequences of the spills has yet. This book focuses on one of the worst spills in history, the exxon valdez oil tanker spill, to explain in simple terms and with bold, fullcolor illustrations why oil spills happen, how they are cleaned up and what effects spilled oil has on our ocean plants and wildlife. The 1989 disaster spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the alaskas.
Remembering the exxon valdez oil spill the atlantic. Staff working papers are written by the staff of the national commission on the bp deepwater horizon oil spill and offshore drilling for the use of members of the. The largest accidental oil spill in history began in the gulf of mexico on april 20, 2010, after a surge of natural gas blasted through a cement well cap that had recently been installed to seal a well drilled by the deepwater horizon oil platform. The exxon valdez oil tanker spill march 24, 1989, blackened hundreds of. Oil spills is the first book to survey the history of oil spills, the problems they create, the types of cleanups and their efficacy, the legal, social, economic, and ecological consequences of oil spills, their longterm impacts on the wildlife and people who survive them, and the alternatives to oil and its transport. Thus, we have before andafter data about the habitatthe only oil spill anywhere for which this is true. It began when an oil well a mile below the surface of the gulf blew out, causing an explosion on bps deepwater. National commission on the bp deepwater horizon oil spill and offshore drilling. Quantities are measured in tonnes of crude oil with one tonne roughly equal to 308 us gallons, 256 imperial gallons, 7. Smith covered the oil industry for the times before working at exxon as a public.
I would recommend this book to everyone interested in the facts surrounding the oil spill, as well as the history of past spills that are still affecting our country and its resources. On good friday 1989, the huge oil tanker, exxon valdez, ran aground in prince william sound, spilling. Here are the 10 worst oil spills in the world history. No one anticipated any unusual problems as the exxon valdez left the alyeska pipeline. Discover librarianselected research resources on exxon valdez oil spill from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. The spill was the worst that had occured up to that point in american history. In this post, we back to history to look up 10 largest oil spills accident ever recorded. From fergana valley, to the amoco cadiz incident, in this video we will look at the top 10 largest oil spills in recorded history. Several present case histories of the oil spills, their causes, and cleanup.
Although the term oil spill often makes people think of spills in the ocean and coastal waters, such as in 2010 during the deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico or the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill in alaska, it also refers to land spills, too. Oil spills some large, more often smallhappen along the coasts, great lakes, and major rivers of the united states nearly every day. The national commission on the bp deepwater horizon oil spill was created by president obama and charged with investigating the root causes of the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Oil spill facts exxon valdez oil spill trustee council. Oil spill is a nonfiction book, that is all about oil spills. Did you know that an oil spill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year.
Oil spill disaster in the gulf of mexico by elaine landau. Some of the most famous oil spills to affect the united states include. The exxon valdez spill, though still one of the largest ever in the united states, has dropped from the top 50 internationally view a list of top oil spills worldwide. Nearly 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil were dispersed when the exxon valdez ran aground, polluting 1,300 miles of alaskan shoreline and causing the extermination of much native wildlife. Nearly 30 years later, pockets of crude oil remain in some locations. Oil spills by the numbers center for american progress.
The largest landbased oil spill in history, and asias worst oil spill, occurred in uzbekistan on march 2, 1992. List of books and articles about exxon valdez oil spill online. It goes on to describe different ways that oil spills can occur. Oil spills can have many different causes, but the result is the same. Each of these events dumped tens of millions of gallons of oil, in many cases decimating the surrounding ecosystems. The term oil spill is sometimes used to refer to marine oil spills where there is a release of oil into the ocean, coastal waters or any other water body. Oil spills have also played a significant role in near extinction of several species of fish and marine animals. Although it is one of the largest known oil spills, it had a low environmental impact.
In the early morning hours of 24 march 1989, the oil tanker exxon. An explosion at the site of a well caused 200,000 gallons of oil to leak into the gulf of mexico each day. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. This unique book discusses the human consequences of the oil spill as well as providing detailed studies of its effects on the plants and animals of the arthur kill. On the land the oil spills are usually restricted and their impact can be eliminated quite easily compared to marine oil spills. The committee concluded that the cause of the blowout was not mechanical.
Oil spill triggered an environmental catastrophe captured science history. A blowout at a well spewed oil into the valley near the city of fergana. Exxon valdez oil spill workers and maxibarge hose beach after corexit. The lessons continue, even after books and dissertations have been written. Hey people this is one work that i done about the 10 biggest oil spills in history. Since oil spills are very bad for our oceans and oceanic wildlife, the book talks about ways to help contain and clean up the. Home browse science and technology environmental and earth sciences oil pollution. Workers clean up the aftermath of the bp oil spill in florida in 2010. An oil spill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year. An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The oil caught fire and burned for two months before the well pressure subsided. The exxon valdez oil slick covered 1,300 miles of coastline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds, otters, seals and whales. Currently the article only lists 2 nigerian spills, out of 10s of thousands that have occurred there over the past 50 years or so. Her book includes his familys history, which runs deep in alaska.
Exxon valdez oil spill on march 24, 1989, the tanker exxon valdez grounded on bligh reef in alaskas prince william sound, rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of prudhoe bay crude oil into a remote, scenic, and biologically productive body of water. Search the history of over 411 billion web pages on the internet. History of oil spills famous oil spills impact law. Some books place oil spills in the context of our heavy reliance on oil, but many ignore why theres so much oil being transported in the first place. In the accident that took place almost 30 years ago, over 11 million gallons of crude oil was released into the waters of the gulf of alaska, hurting the ecosystem badly as it killed hundreds of thousands of species. Noaas office of response and restoration is involved in more than 100 responses to spills or vessel groundings each year. The exxon valdez oil spill perspectives on modern world.
On april 20, 2010, the gigantic drilling rig deepwater horizon blew up in the gulf of mexico, killing eleven crew members and causing a massive eruption of oil from bps macondo well. Among the oil spills occurred in the last five decades, exxon valdez oil spill remains a prominent one. How can science help us learn about the exxon valdez oil spill and how can we apply this. Crucial time passed before containment and cleanup efforts began. The amazon oil spills overlooked by environmental leaders in. The impact of oil spills biology essay uk essays ukessays. Exxon valdez oil spill, massive oil spill that occurred on march 24, 1989, in prince william sound, alaska. Although view crude oil companies advantaged the insurance benefit from the accident, nature is still paying the biggest cost of it and no insurance companies help them. List of books and articles about oil pollution online.
The key lesson from the exxon valdez is that the oil spill continues to. Discover librarianselected research resources on oil pollution from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. The woman on the lower left is an engineer named algorithma teq, unnoticed by the star wars movies and books, an undistinguished resident of the planet, but like interviewer wilber, my ethnographer. The history of offshore oil and gas in the united states. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity.
The exxon valdez oil spill perspectives on modern world history library binding august 10, 2011. In the end, the story of the exxon valdez remains a cautionary tale. While this is almost double the amount spilled by the exxon. The gulf oil spill is officially the largest accidental spill in world history. Oil boiled from the bowels of the supertanker exxon valdez. Mar 25, 2014 almost exactly 25 years after the exxon valdez oil tanker crashed in alaska, spewing 10 million gallons of oil in what would become one of the worst spills in american history, two more oil spills. Katrina lacher department of history and geography, university of. The deepwater horizon spill could easily pump 20 million gallons of oil into the gulf of mexico. The exxon valdez oil spill a true book 9780531289983. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. Aug 01, 2010 the oil spill in the gulf of mexico that began on april 20, 2010, may be the worst environmental disaster in u. Michael has won several awards for his writing, and his graphic novel. Oil harms plants and wildlife that make the oceans and coastlines their home. For an environmental history of the oil industry, see brian c.
The article appears to want to be a list of major oil spills, not every oil spill, which is too broad to be meaningful. The story of how a chain of failures, missteps, and bad decisions led to americas biggest environmental disaster. The company began as standard oil of new jersey following the breakup of standard oil. Disaster in the gulf of mexico, prolific nonfiction writer and florida resident elaine landau gives young readers the essential facts about the spill. May 21, 20 hey people this is one work that i done about the 10 biggest oil spills in history.
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