The Deep Water Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and this major company was held responsible.
What is BP
100
Name two short-term side effects related to oil spills
*HINT: these effects are often what you see portrayed in the media following a spill*
What is vegetation die-off, oiling of birds and fish kills
100
Name two air breathing sea mammals that would have trouble coming up for air under an oil covered sea
What is sea otters, dolphins, seals, sea lions and whales
100
This is the year that the Deep Water Horizon spill took place
What is 2010
200
Name two removal methods used following an oil spill (in water)
What is physical removal, addition of cleaners, burning of surface oil, natural remediation
200
Most oil floats on water, effecting animals near the water's surface. Name one group of surface dwelling creatures that are highly effected by oil spills
What is sea otters, sea birds and dolphins
200
This is the approximate number of times a bird would need to be rinsed with detergent in order to successfully remove all oil from its body
What is 2-3
200
"Light oils" evaporate quickly, do not remain in water very long, but do pose the risk of igniting or exploding. They are also part of everyday use for transportation. Name a "light oil"
What is gasoline and diesel fuel
300
List two abiotic factors of oiling that are crucial to analyzing/cleaning up oil spills
What is type of oil, concentration of oil in ecosystem, geographical location, weather patterns, persistence of oiling
300
Birds have feathers. When coated with oil the feathers cannot work properly. Name a risk that birds would face when coated in oil
What is they cannot fly away (drowning risk), they cannot control their body temperature (risk hypothermia) and they inhale toxin fumes (potential internal damage)
300
"Heavy oils" are thick, black and sticky, take longer to break down in nature, but they are less toxic than "light oils." They are commonly used for industrial purposes. Name a "heavy oil"
What is bunker oil (used in ships)
400
This major oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 and was the largest recorded spill in this region before Deep Water Horizon
What is Ixtoc
400
All ecosystems respond to oil spills differently. Name two components/properties of ecosystems that would influence oil spill recovery
What is type of ecosystem (wetland, beach), vegetation cover, soil type and extent of plant cover
400
There are two types of marine animals: those who rely on blubber to maintain body temperature and those who rely on fur. Name an animal that fits each category
What is seals, whales, walruses/sea otters, fur seals
400
Instead of implementing human and mechanical clean up efforts for oil spills in marshy areas, it is often more productive to let nature take its course and break down the oil. This process is know as...
What is natural remediation
500
This oil spill occurred off the coast of Alaska in 1989, courtesy of Exxon
What is Valdez
500
In order for researchers and scientists to accurately study short-term effects of oil spills they must have these two things
*Hint: think factors of research*
What is pre-spill data and data immediately following the spill
500
Otters release natural oils from their skin to help with this unique trait of theirs. When being cleaned after an oil spill, these oils take up to a week to regenerate, so the otters must stay out of water.
What is water repellency
500
Due to the amount of destruction from human influence that the Gulf of Mexico faces and continues to recover from, it has been dubbed a "_____ ecosystem"