oil spills overview

1. OIL SPILLS
Presente by
A.Poovathan Raj and K.Sivasankar
Adhiyamaan College of Engineering
Hosur,Tamilnadu.

2. ABOUT OIL SPILLS
 Means release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the
environment due to human activity, and is a form of
pollution.
 Also refers to marine oil spills, where oil is released into
the ocean or coastal waters.
 It includes releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore
platforms, drilling rigs and wells.

3. CAUSES OF OIL SPILLS

4. OPERATIONAL SPILLS

5. OFFSHORE DRILLING OILSPILL

6. ONSHORE OILSPILL

7. OTHER REASONS
Sinking or leakage of Oil carrying vessels or Oil pipelines
Illegal dumping by industries
Countries at war
Terrorist activities
Natural Disasters

8. EFFECTS OF OIL SPILLS

9. MAJOR EFFECT OF OIL SPILLS
• Local industries
• Human health
• Marine ecosystem including animal and plant life
• Vegetation & mangroves
• Effect on marine life
• Damage Beaches, Marshlands and Fragile Marine
Ecosystems

10. LOCAL INDUSTRY
• Tourist as fishing, swimming or
sailing
• Industries that rely on fresh sea water
• Devices used to catch fish cannot be
used for fear of damaging them in
area that have had an oil spill

11. HUMAN HEALTH
• Inhalation of vapor, touching
oil slicks and consuming
contaminated sea food
• Causes neurological, acute toxic
effects, ocular (eye) and also
problems of respiratory system
• Nausea, throat infections, nose
and eye irritations, etc. along
with migraines and headaches.

12. MARINE ECOSYSTEM INCLUDING ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE
• Spread of oil slick
• Movement (waves)and weather
(cold , low energy, little water
movement)
• Area effected i.e. Estuaries/
foreshore
• Proximity to bird breeding
colony

13. VEGETATION
• Root areas of plants may
be harmful
• Living coral is also
vulnerable to oil slicks. If
the living coral dies, then
the reef of coral can be
destroyed by wave
erosion.
• A thick coating of oil on
the leaves does almost no
damage if it occurs
outside the growing
season.

14. EFFECT ON MARINE LIFE
• Oil, or hydrocarbons, can
affect plants and animals
in different ways.
• Physical effects on marine
birds and mammals is
through smothering,
where oil coats the outside
of their bodies, covering
feathers and fur.
• Toxic compounds from
the spilt oil can be
ingested by animals
directly, in their prey, as
they breath

15. MANGROVES
• Salt tolerant tress and
shrubs and provide habitat
for sea birds, crabs, oysters,
breeding ground for birds
• Their complex root system
stabilizes and sediment,
preventing soil erosion
• They obtain oxygen
through lenticels on aerial
roots, which may become
clogged and stop oxygen
supply
• There may be long term
loss of habitat

16. WATER ANIMALS

17. AQUATIC PLANTS

18. MARINE MAMMALS
• Marine mammals are vulnerable to oil
spills because of their amphibious
habits and their dependence on air.
• The rough skin surface, body hair and
grooming habits of some species
increase the possibility of oil contact,
ingestion and associated toxicological
effects.

19. OIL SPILLS DAMAGE BEACHES, MARSHLANDS AND
FRAGILE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
• Absorption of oil by fibrous plants and
grasses
• Effects on fragile underwater ecosystems
• Killing or contaminating many fish and
smaller organisms that are essential links
in the global food chain.