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bio 381 > Lec 18 > Flashcards

Lec 18 Flashcards

(54 cards)

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1
Q

What types of fuel are transported

A

Crude oil

Diluted bitumen (Dilbit)

Petroleum

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2
Q

Crude oil

A

Liquid mixture of hundreds of hydrocarbons, later refined to make things like gasoline

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3
Q

Diluted bitumen

A

Bitumen (crude oil + sand) diluted with lighter petroleum (usually naphtha) to make it less viscous

Bitumen with petroleum

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4
Q

Petroleum

A

Broad category that includes both crude oil and petroleum products

The terms oil and petroleum are used interchangeably

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5
Q

One way of moving oil

A

Rail

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6
Q

Another method of moving oil

A

Pipeline

Used for most of Canada’s oil

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7
Q

Major pipelines in Canada

A

Trans Mountain (Edmonton to BC)

Keystone (Hardisty, AB to USA)

Express (Hardisty, AB to USA)

Enbridge (Edmonton to USA)

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8
Q

99 percent of Canadian oil goes to

A

USA

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9
Q

Moving petroleum by sea

A

Most tanker traffic is to the US

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10
Q

Terrestrial oil spills

A

Most common usually involved in rupture pipeline

Over 1000 incidents in Canada in the past decade alone

Impacts localized area

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11
Q

Marine oil spills

A

Less frequent, but more petroleum released

One single spill can release as much as an entire year of terrestrial spills

Damages disperse, oil transported across vast distances with ocean currents

Less frequent, more damage

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12
Q

Fate of spilled petroleum

A

Evaporation

Spreading

Dissolution

Residual Materials

Degradation

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13
Q

Evaporation

A

Evaporation of fumes and f=vapors reduces volume of spillage, can eliminate up to 100 percent of gas, 50 percent of crude oil, and 10 percent of denser bunker fuel

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14
Q

Spreading

A

The movement of an oil slick over water or land

Slow on land (soil highly absorbent)

Quicker on water (due to water currents and wind)

Slow on land, quick on water

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15
Q

Dissolution

A

Pollution of the water beneath an oil slick, lighter hydrocarbons become dissolved in water

Mixing with water

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16
Q

Residual materials

A

Heavier hydrocarbons form a gelatinous emulsion (water-in-oil) known as mousse, can wash up onto shorelines or sink

Heavy hydrocarbons form mousse and wash up onto shorelines or sink

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17
Q

Residual materials

A

Mousse

Tar balls

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18
Q

Degredation

A

The slow decomposition of petroleum by either microbes (biodegradation) or photo-oxidation by UV radiation

Slow

Photo-oxidation or microbes

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19
Q

Fate of spilled petroleum on land

A

Localized impacts, unless a vey large spill

Soils high in organic matter can absorb petroleum

Will tend to accumulate in low spots on the landscape

Extensive damage occurs if it reaches water

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20
Q

What makes petroleum toxic

A

Contains VOCs such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX)

VOCs are carcinogens, can cause neurological and reproductive damage, and are irritants

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21
Q

Acute toxicity

A

Some hydrocarbons can destroy cellular membranes, killing tissue

The process of cleaning up oil spill can also kill organisms

Toxicity of oil varies on its source and level of processing

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22
Q

Biochemical toxicity of oil

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A

Can cause mutations and reproductive issues

23
Q

Physical toxicity of oil

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A

Oil mats feathers and separates tiny barbs, impairing the waterproofing and exposing the bird to temp extremes

24
Q

Food web impacts of oil

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A

Killing of consumers can cause in increase in prey or predators

25
Risk of suffocation for aquatic organisms
Surface waters are supersaturated with O2 due to atmospheric exchange Oil slicks form a barrier between air and epilimnion, preventing atmospheric exchange Dissolved O2 decreases which can lead to suffocation
26
Impacts of oil on soil
Biggest concern- oil will seep into groundwater BTEX may kill soil microorganisms, arthropods, also higher organisms (can disrupt food webs)
27
Increased coastal erosion
Oil can be especially toxic to marsh and coastal grasses Kill the grasses, reduce the protection from wind and water, erosion increases
28
How oil spills are cleaned up
Mechanical recovery In-situ burning Chemical recovery Bioremediation
29
Mechanical recovery
Physical containment, collection of spilled oil
30
In-situ burning
Controlled burning of spilled oil to remove it
31
Chemical recovery
Use of dispersants or gelling agents to either break the oil down into smaller droplets, or to congeal it together
32
Bioremediation
Use of fertilizers and nutrients to increase microorganism growth, which in turn breaks down the oil
33
Mechanical recovery Containment booms
Physical barriers placed to prevent the spread of oil
34
Mechanical recovery Skimmers and sorbents
Skimmers are devices for recovering spilled oil from the water's surface Sorbents are used to clean up final traces of oil spills
35
In situ burning application
If done properly, can remove large amount of oil But it causes air pollution Only works in low win areas and best for lighter petroleum Will produce residues that most often sink and persists
36
Chemical recovery Dispersants
Mixture of surfactants Used in choppy waters, when other methods are ineffective Example: COREXIT (used to clean up Deepwater Horizon May be more acutely toxic than oil
37
COREXIT toxicity
Cannot come into contact with soil, surface or ground water Toxic to humans and aquatic organisms
38
Gelling agents (solidifiers)
Physically bonds with oil, forming a rubbery solid Low toxicity, low flammability May even be able to recycle the solidified oil
39
Problem with gelling agents
Expensive, need a large volume
40
Bioremediation application
Use of microorganisms to breakdown and degrade petroleum Can seed organisms into spills, or fertilize spills to increase their populations
41
Cleaning terrestrial spills
Easier to just remove the affected soil from the site Bioremediation can be used Use of electrical resistance heating (installing electrodes)
42
What went wrong with the Deepwater Horizon
Piping failure and buildup of natural gas Natural gas filled up the drill column and eventually exploded Blowout Preventer (BOP) malfunctioned and manual override was not enacted fast enough to prevent blowout Natural gas buildup which led to drill explosion Blowout preventer malfunctioned and mannual override was used too late
43
Problems at the Site of the Deepwater Horizon
Previous equipment malfunction Faulty concrete Lied on safety record Ignored signs of problem Ignored workers concerns
44
Spreading oil of from Deepwater Horizon
Spread north into the Gulf of Mexico and farther south
45
The cleanup of Deepwater Horizon
23.5 million liters of oil skimmed 42 million liters burned 62.5 million liters dispersed using COREXIT
46
Wildlife impact of Deepwater Horizon
Laughing gill, Royal tern, Northern Gannet, Brown Pelican population greatly decreased
47
Kemp's Ridley sea turtles
Had a 20% population decrease in all juveniles
48
Bottlenose dolphin
Populations have decreased by 50 percent in one Louisiana bay, due to directly mortality and reduced repro
49
6 impacts of Deepwater Horizon
Oil-eating bacteria increased; may have helped accelerate marsh erosion Acrobat ants disappeared from oil sites, may be recovering There are fewer snails in oil sites: some signs of recovery Where oil killed plants roots, erosion increased Seaside sparrows build fewer nests and hatch fewer chicks in oiled areas Blue crabs have shown no signs of population decline
50
6 more impacts of the Deepwater Horizon
Bottle nose dolphins Brown pelicans Shrimp initially increased
51
The Gulf of Mexico is healing
Recovery by animals is slowed due to bioaccumulation of toxic COREXIT Oil itself also linked to birth defects and death of marine organisms Most oil is weathered by now COREXIT makes recovery slow but oil is mostly weathered
52
Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill
Oil spill in 1989 on Alaska coast Weathered oil will persist, has been observed on Alaskan Coast 16+ years after the spill
53
Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill Chronic oil exposure impact on wildlife
Chronic ingestion from grooming Reduced reproduction, increased mortality in fish, mammals, birds Bioaccumulation will occur
54
Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill Indirect effects
Food web disruptions from trophic cascades Reduced biogenic habitat (which in turn can cause a trophic cascade, further disrupting food webs) Loss of keystone species Disruption of social species

bio 381 (21 decks)

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