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Monday, April 13, 2009


oil pollution
The oceans are a key part of the world environment and the seas are important for a variety of economic activities. Among these activities are exploitation of mineral resources, fishing, tourism, trade, exploitation of energy, recreation and transportation.
Sometimes off shores wells, leaky pipelines or oil tankers will spill oil. Oil does not mix with water, the oil just forms a widespread film on top of the water. This floating film is called a oil slick. Oil spills that wash up on land can ruin beaches and shorelines and threaten the plants and animals that live there. The consequences of major oil spills from tankers can be more catastrophic if they are near the coastline. This is because both animals from the land and sea use the shorelines to hunt their food, mate, gather, live and rest. If an oil spill occurred in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for example, it would only affect the marine animals in that area. It still however, would have a horrible affect on the environment.
An oil spill can kill or damage anything that comes in contact with it like birds, fish, otters, turtles, or any other aquatic wildlife. Oil spills are very difficult and expensive to clean up. To clean up oil spills, workers must make a ring of floating devices called booms around the oil spill to stop it from spreading. A pump then collects the oil that floats on the surface of the water. Sometimes clean up crew use material that absorb or soak up the oil spills.
The most important source of oil that enters the sea is that from urban and industry areas that release directly into the oceans or into rivers that flow to the seas. This oil pollutes areas that are usually most important to coastal activities. Over a million tons of oil a year enter the sea deliberately from ships, most of it from tankers that wash out their empty tanks with sea water. Although this is illegal, many tankers still do it in the high seas where no one can see them.
When oil spills occur, oil soaks into the feathers of birds. This removes the air layer that protects them from the cold. Being covered with oil also makes it hard for sea animals to swim since they are unable to dive for food or swim away from predators. The oil can get into their eggs which are laid at the water's edge and kill the baby animals inside. Fish can die because the oil clogs their gills and they can't breathe. Oil also contaminates the food and water needed by the sea animals.
The Mediterranean
The Mediterranean is the filthiest sea in the world. The sea is almost totally enclosed, and takes about 70 years for it's waters to be renewed, since the pollution tends to stay in the sea.
The major pollution sources include domestic sewage from towns and cities, wastes from industries, rivers that collect fertilizers from agricultural land and toxic wastes from nuclear power plants. The sewage varies seasonally in the areas where population increases during the tourist season. Disease associated with bathing in contaminated waters or eating contaminated seafood is very common around the Mediterranean.
Pictures of Oil Pollution are available in the Water Pollution section of the Pictures page.

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