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The Oil Spill and Wildlife
Oil spills affect wildlife profoundly. When oil spills on a body of water, it often results in a layer of oil on the water's surface, through which many fish-eating birds have to dive to find food. The oil sticks to the birds' feathers, which can cause hypothermia in birds because it can interfere with the feathers' ability to insulate them. Oil can also mask the scents that adult seals and their young use to identify each other, which can lead to the neglect, starvation and death of seal pups. Oil also causes ulcers and internal bleeding when it is ingested by wildlife.
The Oil Spill and Shorelines
The effects of an oil spill on shorelines vary according to the types of shoreline involved and the rate of water flow near them. If the shore is mainly composed of rocks and cliffs, the oil will stick to them and can be easily washed off. If the shore is composed of sand, the oil can filter down through it, making cleanup efforts extremely difficult. Also, if the shoreline is bound by a fast-flowing body of water, the impact of the oil on the shore will be lessened because the water acts as a natural cleanser, washing the oil away from the land. If the oil comes into contact with a body of water that is not in motion, like a lake, then it can remain in the habitat for years and have harmful effects on the wildlife there.
The Oil Spill and Other Aquatic Habitats
Numerous aquatic habitats are affected by oil spills in different ways. Coral reefs nurture many organisms; if they come into contact with oil, all these organisms risk suffocation and other harmful effects from chemicals in the oil. Salt marshes are found in cold and temperate climates and are home to vegetation that is very sensitive to oil; if oil seeps below the surface and comes into contact with the roots of plants and trees there, it could prove fatal. This is also why mangrove forests -- located in tropical climates and full of mangrove trees -- must be especially protected from oil spills. If oil contaminates a mangrove tree's roots, not only will it kill the tree, but replacing it could take decades because mangroves grow extremely slowly.
The Oil Spill and Deep-Sea Ecology
Most oil spills occur on the surface of bodies of water, so few were prepared for the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, in which an oil rig exploded and a deep-sea oil well spewed millions of gallons of oil 5,000 feet below the water's surface over a period of three months. Many processes can help lessen the effects of a surface spill (like evaporation), but they do not occur near the ocean floor. Scientists worry that such spills could have an even more toxic impact on deep-sea ecology -- as well as ecosystems near the surface -- than they have ever experienced, and the consequences could be felt for years. One side effect is an increase in microbes that feed on oil: they help to lessen the impact of the spill, but use a great deal of oxygen in the process. Scientists found that oxygen levels near the oil well had fallen 30 percent as a result; if the levels continue to drop, many organisms could suffocate.