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Disadvantages of Oil Leaks in the Ocean

Offshore oil drilling has opened up new oil deposits, helping fuel the world's demand for fossil fuels. However, these operations are not without risks, and an accident on one of the oil rigs can lead to devastating environmental damage. Oil leaks in the ocean are more difficult to stop and lead to greater problems than a comparable accident on land.

Depth Issues
- Technology has made it possible for oil companies to drill deeper than ever, with equipment capable of bringing oil up through as much as a mile of water. However, this means that when something goes wrong, it goes wrong at a place that is extremely hard to reach from the surface. When the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, it took BP nearly three months to get a cap in place to halt the oil leak. The company had to use remote controlled submersibles and a variety of techniques to attempt to block the powerful flow of oil.
Area of Effect
- An oil leak on land has the potential to contaminate the immediate surrounding area, and in some cases, enhanced drilling techniques may cause oil to seep into nearby water tables. A leak in the ocean, on the other hand, affects a disproportionately large area due to the natural currents that carry the oil away from the source. The Deepwater Horizon spill ultimately affected the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and contaminated a large area of the Gulf of Mexico.
Damage to Wildlife
- Oil leaks in the ocean have a major effect on wildlife. Birds and other animals that feed at the surface of the ocean become covered with oil or ingest it during feeding or grooming. When oil mixes with seawater, filter feeders take it in while grazing on plankton. The spread of oil spilled in the ocean makes it difficult for any wildlife in the region to escape its effects.
Cleanup Problems
- In some cases, the process of cleaning up an ocean oil spill can be almost as devastating as the spill itself. Often, cleanup crews use chemicals called dispersants to break up slicks on the surface. This may help protect surface-level habitats like beaches and marshes from contamination, but it has the effect of dispersing the oil through the water column, causing it to fall down to the ocean floor. Dispersed oil is particularly dangerous to sea turtles and coral, but any wildlife in the area treated by these products is at risk for contamination.

Nature