The Alarming Reality about Oil Spillage: It's a Daily Occurrence in the Oceans

Is there anything humans can do that will have any dent on the vastness of the oceans? The answer is yes. Whether by accident or through intentional, unlawful deeds, the oceans continue to be victims of such human carelessness and indifference. And the sad truth is that defilement of the oceans by oil spillage isn't an infrequent occurrence - it is taking place all over the world every single day. The consequences of oil spillage in the oceans are dreadful: the world's coastlines become polluted, fisheries and marine life get contaminated, colonies of seabirds are annihilated, and other affected animals die.

Twenty years ago, environmentalists recorded an approximate total of three-and-a-half million tons of oil dumped into oceans around the world. Of this figure, about seventy percent was deemed caused by such unlawful actions with complete awareness of the consequences, while the other thirty percent was attributed to accidental oil spillages. While the causes of oil spillages are diverse, these three are considered the most common culprits: washing of oil tanks at sea, accidents at sea involving tankers, and bursting or eruption of oil wells.

The washing of oil storage tanks at sea causes much contamination to the oceans. What exactly happens in this situation is that after washing the oil tanks, the tankers then get rid of the fouled water (already mingled with oil residue) back into the ocean. In the case of tanker accidents (the most publicly-known causes of oil spillage), millions of tons of oil get spilled into the oceans as a result of sea mishaps involving cargo ships carrying oil or other liquid chemicals in bulk. The bursting of oil wells, likewise, is responsible for the dumping of oil and gas, in huge quantities, into the oceans.

An incidence of oil spillage can cause serious damage to both wildlife and the environment which even the most serious clean-up attempt can't prevent. Oil pollution in the oceans endangers migrating seabirds. These animals, during their cross-climate journey, search for areas of tranquil water on which to hunt for fish or rest. In flocks, these birds come to rest on the water of seas covered by oil which, to them, appear calm. They then are caught in the viscid substance and, consequently, perish due to starvation. The ones lucky enough to escape the trap usually die too later; they ingest the extremely poisonous substance as they try to rid their feathers of it with their beaks.

Seals and the larger sea lions caught in the slick from oil that has washed ashore on beaches usually die. Oil spillage in the ocean, in effect, harms the whole marine food chain; marine species that die due to the poisons from the oil spillage are eaten, in turn, by the other marine animals.

How oil spills can be fully and effectively cleaned up is an intricate, worldwide problem that remains to be solved. The efficiency of the technical methods that are currently utilized is contingent on two factors: the spill's site and the prevailing weather condition. Rough seas, for instance, can help disperse oil slicks. However, they can likewise churn the seawater and the oil together which then can lead to the formation of a substance that may even be more difficult to break up than just the oil itself.

Of course, the situation isn't entirely hopeless. There are certain things that can be done to save the oceans from the menacing effects of the rampant oil spillages. For example, the international community has to effectively carry out more stringent policies regarding the practice of washing oil storage tanks at sea. On a much smaller scale, people can help reduce oil pollution by sending used motor oil back to the garage for recycling, instead of burying it in the surrounding grounds or disposing of it down the drain from where it can seep into the oceans via sewage conduits and natural watercourses. [Read the Original Article]