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Animals can also be internally diagnosed via necropsy by identifying petroleum hydrocarbons in their fat, liver, or kidney tissues [2] For damage assessments, the death of the animal must have occurred after the oil spill. [1] The severity of damage directly correlates with the amount of oil spilled and the animal's exposure to oil. [4]
The oil slick as seen from space by NASA's Terra satellite on 24 May 2010. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been described as the worst environmental disaster in the United States, releasing about 4.9 million barrels (210 million US gal; 780,000 m 3) of crude oil making it the largest marine oil spill in history.
Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species of comb jellyfish that spread so it now inhabits estuaries in many parts of the world, was first introduced in 1982, and thought to have been transported to the Black Sea in a ship's ballast water. The population of the jellyfish grew exponentially and, by 1988, it was wreaking havoc upon the local fishing industry.
The oil spill directly affected Atlantic bluefin tuna, as approximately 12% of larval tuna were located in oil-contaminated waters, [9] and Gulf of Mexico is the only known spawning grounds for the western population of bluefin tuna. [7] A decaying fish trapped in oil inside the Bay of Isles, Alaska after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Oil spills are one of the most emotive of marine pollution events. However, while a tanker wreck may result in extensive newspaper headlines, much of the oil in the world's seas comes from other smaller sources, such as tankers discharging ballast water from oil tanks used on return ships, leaking pipelines or engine oil disposed of down sewers ...
When spills occur close to and within the drainage basin, the hydrologic force of both the river and tides force spilled petroleum to move up into areas of vegetation. Mangrove forests are included in a highly complex trophic system. If oil directly affects any organism within an ecosystem, it can indirectly affect a host of other organisms.
Oil spills also impact marine environments, contributing to marine pollution as a result of human activity. The effects of oil on marine fish have been studied following major spills in the United States. Shipping is a major vector for the introduction of exotic marine species, some of which can become overabundant and transform ecosystems.
When oil spills occur, the affects can be felt in an area for decades and can cause massive damage to the aquatic life. For aquatic plant life an oil spill could affect how light, and oxygen is available for photosynthesis. [100] Coral Reef Community. Two other examples of the many ways oil harms wildlife are in the form of oil toxicity and ...