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Ecology of Aquatic Environments > Impacts of Pollution Petroleum Hydrocarbons (Oil) > Flashcards

Impacts of Pollution Petroleum Hydrocarbons (Oil) Flashcards

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1
Q

What is petroleum (Oil)?

A

Is naturally occurring, smelly, liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds

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2
Q

Where can oil be found?

A

Underneath the surface
-Naturally occurring unprocessed crude oils

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3
Q

What is petroleum used for?

A

Used as fossil fuels for producing fuel, oil and petrol

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4
Q

What are some issues with oil?

A

-Is a finite and non-renewable energy source
-Major GHG pollutant

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5
Q

Who is the biggest producer of oil?

A

OPEC

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6
Q

What does OPEC stand for?

A

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

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7
Q

Which OPEC member produces the most oil?

A

Saudi Arabia

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8
Q

What countries use the most oil?

A

USA and China

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9
Q

What are sources of oil pollution?

A

Nonpoint sources
Point sources

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10
Q

Describe nonpoint sources

A

-Causes long term buildup
-General shipping industry, urban runoff, atmospheric inputs people dumping used motor oil from their cars

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11
Q

Describe point sources of pollution

A

-Oil spills or leaks from oil platforms, tankers, dry docking, coastal oil refineries, licensed dumping at sea
-Cause more concentrated, by much shorter term damage

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12
Q

How many tons of crude oil was transported by sea in 2020?

A

1.86 billion metric tons

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13
Q

What size is the global fleet of oil tankers?

A

2,210

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14
Q

What factors influence the degradation process of spilled oil

A

-Composition, quantity and duration of oil discharged
-Time of year and weather conditions at which it occurs
-Temperature of the air and the receiving water body and the supply of oxygen in the water
-Species composition in the area affected and the properties of the shoreline (rocky, sandy, mud flats)
-Amount of oil-degrading micro-organisms in the are

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15
Q

What is the physical, chemical and biological degradation of oil called?

A

Weathering

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16
Q

What are chemical forms of weathering oil?

A

Evaporation
Oxidation

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17
Q

What is an example of non-persistent oil?

A

Kerosene (light oil)

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18
Q

What is an example of a persistent oil?

A

Crude oil

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19
Q

What is some biological forms of oil weathering?

A

Biodegradation

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20
Q

What is some forms of physical weathering of oil?

A

Spreading
Dispersion
Sedimentation
Emulsification
Dissolution

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21
Q

Describe chemical dispersion

A

Chemical dispersion is achieved by apply chemicals designed to remove oil from the water surface by breaking the oil into small droplets

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22
Q

What are some methods to clean up oil at sea?

A

Dispersion (chemical)
Burning
Booms
Skimming

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23
Q

What does an effective clean-up operation include?

A

-Removal of bulk oil contamination
-Reducing geographical extent and duration of pollution damage
-Allowing natural recovery to commence

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24
Q

What flaws are there to clean up methods?

A

Oil skimming boats don’t pick 100% of oil
Concerns over human health and environmental impacts of chemical dispersants

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25
Describe chemical dispersants
-Sprayed onto sea surface -Oil is broken into tiny droplets -Over time broken down further by oil-eating bacteria, sunlight and wave action -Dispersed in ocean or sink to bottom
26
Give a timeline of chemical dispersants
1. Application of dispersant 2. Initial dispersion 3. Bacterial colonisation of dispersant and dispersed oil droplets 4. Bacterial degradation of oil and dispersant 5. Colonisation of bacterial aggrates by protzoans and nematodes 1 -2 days to 4 weeks
27
What impact does oil pollution have on wetland ecosystems?
Oiled, degraded or eroding marsh may reduce productivity
28
What impact does oil pollution have on nearshore benthos?
Tarmats and oil in sediments may reduce benthic productivity and may affect food web
29
What effects does oil pollution have on the photic zone?
Surface and dispersed oil may affect base of food web, larval fish are particularly sensitive to effects of oiling
30
What impacts does oil pollution have on top predators?
Predators may be affected by degradation of food web, and by direct health effects from oiling
31
What effect does oil pollution have on the deep benthos?
Destruction of long-lived deep corals may reduce biodiversity and deep ocean productivity
32
What stressors on organism's does oil pollution cause
-Reduced light -Reduced dissolved oxygen -Smothering -Toxicity
33
What are lethal impacts of oil?
-Tissue mortality -Larval Mortality -Recruitment failure
34
What are five sublethal impacts of oil expsure?
-Increased respiration -Reproductive failure -Reduced calcification -Reduced Photosynthesis -Increased mucus production
35
What is the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
A supertanker, the Exxon Valdez ran aground spilling 11 million gallons of Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil
36
How many miles of coastline were contaminated by Exxon Valdez?
1990 km of coastline
37
What year did Exxon Valdez oil spill occur?
1989, off Prince William Sound
38
What percentage of oil was recovered by response vessels within the first 48 hrs?
Less than 1 %
39
What was the impact on the wildlife from Exxon Valdez?
-Mass mortality of macroalgae and benthic invertebrates on oiled shores -Killed by combination of chemical toxicity, smothering and physical displacement from habitat by pressurized water wash
40
How many sea otters were killed? (Exxon)
1000 -2800 sea otters
41
How many sea birds were killed (Exxon)
2800 - 5500 sea birds
42
How many orca were killed (Exxon)
22
43
What economic harm did the Exxon oil spill cause?
$300 million, 32,000 people lost their livelihoods
44
How much beaches showed oil 12 years after the spill (Exxon)
Oil was still found on half of 91 randomly selected beaches
45
How many workers did the cleanup require?
10,000 workers, 1,000 boats and 100 airplanes 4 people were killed via cleanup efforts
46
How much of the oil was recorded (Exxon)
Only around 7% of the oil spilled
47
What was the results of the NOAA survey in 2014 for orca populations (Exxon)
Orcas from pod AB (fish eating) suffered 20% loss of females- suppressed reproduction but recovering Orcas from pod At1 (mammal eating) 40% loss, have not reproduced since the incident, declining towards extinction
48
What orca pod eats fish (Exxon)
Pod AB
49
What orca pod is mammal eating?
AT1
50
What is the results of sea otter recovery by NOAA 2014 (Exxon)
Recovery of about 4% per annum since 2000
51
What species are not recovering after Exxon oil spil?
-Herring -Orca pod At1 -Pigeon guillemots (NOAA 2014)
52
How much was Exxon fined for the disaster?
$150 million dollars
53
What impact has the Exxon spill had on herring?
The spring herring season has been closed for 19 of the past 24 years
54
What was Deepwater Horizon?
A floating offshore oil drilling rig contracted to British Petroleum (BP)
55
When did the Deepwater Horizon accident occur?
20th April 2010
56
How many people were killed during the accident (DH)?
11 workers
57
How many barrels of oil a day was released (DH)?
60,000 barrels a day
58
How much oil was estimated to be released into the Gulf of Mexico?
154 million barrels of oil (24 billion litres)
59
When was the spill capped (DH)?
3 months later, July 15th
60
Where was the Deepwater Horizon disaster?
At Macondo Prospect
61
How many national parks are in the Gulf area?
Area of high biodiversity 8 National parks and sensitive marshland habitats
62
What states had their beaches polluted?
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
63
How far did oil plumes stretch underwater (DH)?
16 km in some areas
64
How thick was the residue on the sea floor in some areas? (DH)
2 - 5 inches thick
65
How many birds were collected and how many were dead? (DH)
1,746 birds 997 were dead
66
How many sea turtles were collected? (DH)
528 collected 400 dead
67
How many mammals were collected? (DH)
51 collected 47 dead Death toll higher, many lost at sea
68
How many seafood processors are along the Gulf coast?
195, employing 9,000 workers
69
How much money has the Deepwater Horizon spill cost the fishing industry?
Estimated cost of $2.4 billion
70
When were waters re-opened for fishing? (DH)?
6 weeks
71
What chemical was used to clean up DH and why is it controversial?
-Corexit -Highly toxic, banned in Canada and Europe -Unknown long term consequences for wildlife and human health
72
What % of the DH oil spill evaporated or dissolved?
25%
73
What % of the DH oil spill was removed?
17%
74
How much of the DH oil was chemically dispersed?
8%
75
How much has BP paid out in claims?
$11.3 billion
76
How much of the oil remained unaccounted for in 2012?
60%
77
How many gallons of chemical dispersants were used by 2012?
1.8 million
78
What percentage of residents exposed to crude oil or dispersants show health problems?
75% two years on
79
How much shrimp did fishermen catch per week before and after the accident (DH)
4,000 pounds per week before 800 pounds per week 2 years later
80
What % of bottlenose dolphin pregnancies are successful in the Gulf after the accident? (DH)
Only 20%
81
What ecological effects were observed in year 2 after the oil spill (DH)
-Killifish impacts reported -Deep-sea coral damage -Continued low oyster survival in Louisiana
82
What can cause re-oiling in the Gulf?
Tropical storms like Karen and Hurricane Isaac

Ecology of Aquatic Environments (14 decks)

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