An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution

1. Oil spill

2. What is a Oil Spill
• An oil spill is the release of a liquid
petroleum hydrocarbon into the
environment due to human activity, and is
a form of pollution. The term often refers
to marine oil spills, where oil is released
into the ocean or coastal waters. The oil
may be a variety of materials, including
crude oil, refined petroleum products
(such as gasoline or diesel fuel) or by-
products, ships' bunkers, oily refuse or oil
mixed in waste. Spills take months or even
years to clean up. Oil also enters the
marine environment from natural oil
seeps. Most human-made oil pollution
comes from land-based activity, but public
attention and regulation has tended to
focus most sharply on seagoing oil
tankers.

3. Estimating the volume of a spill
Film thickness Quantity spread
Appearance in mm gal/sq mi L/ha
Barely visible 0.0000015 0.0000380 25 0.370
Silvery sheen 0.0000030 0.0000760 50 0.730
First trace of color 0.0000060 0.0001500 100 1.500
Bright bands of
color
0.0000120 0.0003000 200 2.900
Colors begin to
dull
0.0000400 0.0010000 666 9.700
Colors are much
darker
0.0000800 0.0020000 1332 19.500

4. Oil spills are great threat to animals
• Many of you know that oil spills
are extremely dangerous for
wildlife. The most devastating oil
spill still remains Exxon Valdez oil
spill with huge number of animals
dying because of it. Exxon Valdez
oil spill is responsible for deaths of
thousands of animals,the best
estimates include number of
250,000 to as many as 500,000
seabirds, at least 1,000 sea otters,
approximately 12 river otters, 300
harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and
22 orcas, as well as the destruction
of billions of salmon and herring
eggs.

6. Environmental effects
• Marine mammals exposed to oil spills are affected in similar ways as seabirds. Oil coats the fur of
Sea otters and seals, reducing its insulation abilities and leading to body temperature fluctuations
and hypothermia. Ingestion of the oil causes dehydration and impaired digestions.
• Because oil floats on top of water, less light penetrates into the water, limiting the
photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton. This, as well as decreasing the fauna
populations, affects the food chain in the ecosystem.
• A sheen is usually dispersed (but not cleaned up) with detergents which makes oil settle to
the bottom. Oils that are denser than water, such as Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), can be
more difficult to clean as they make the seabed toxic.

7. Methods for cleaning up include
• 1. Bioremediation: use of microorganisms or
biological agents to break down or remove oil.
• 2.Bioremediation Accelerator: Oleophilic,
hydrophobic chemical, containing no bacteria,
which chemically and physically bonds to both
soluble and insoluble hydrocarbons.
• 3. Controlled burning can effectively reduce the
amount of oil in water, if done properly.
• 4. Dispersants act as detergents, clustering
around oil globules and allowing them to be
carried away in the water.
• 5. Watch and wait: in some cases, natural
attenuation of oil may be most appropriate, due
to the invasive nature of facilitated methods of
remediation, particularly in ecologically sensitive
areas.[citation needed]
• 6. Dredging: for oils dispersed with detergents
and other oils denser than water.
7. Skimming: Requires calm waters
8. Solidifying