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Oil in the Marine Environment
Worldwide, about 210 million gallons of petroleum enter the sea each year from the extraction, transportation, and consumption of crude oil and the products refined from it. Most of that petroleum comes from land-based runoff, polluted rivers, airplanes, and small boats and jet skis. Smaller amounts come from accidental spills from oil tankers and platforms. Another an additional 180 million gallons enters the ocean from natural seeps. Large oil spills can be devastating to the marine environment. They kill fish, mammals, birds, and their offspring; destroy plant life; and reduce the food supply for organisms that survive. Spills also disrupt the structure and function of marine communities and ecosystems.
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Featured Article
Oil Drilling Environmental Health Concerns
?Main Image: Ice-breaking ships, described as "huge beasts of the ocean," may contribute as much as 90% of air emissions from offshore oil and gas... More »
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Featured Video
SoLa: Lousiana water stories (1:46)
Date of Video: Jul 2, 2010 Everywhere you look in Southern Louisiana (SoLa) there’s water – bayous, swamps, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico. And everyone... More »
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Featured Article
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Marine Mammals
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Marine Mammals Marine Mammals at Risk in the Gulf of Mexico Stock assessment reports compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service... More »
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Featured Article
Hurricanes and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Most hurricanes span an enormous area of the ocean (200-300 miles) — far wider than the current size of the spill. If the slick remains small in comparison to a typical... More »
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Featured Article
Distinguishing oil spills from algal blooms
When observed from a boat or aircraft, many kinds of natural phenomena can be mistaken for oil on the water surface. Kelp beds, accumulations of jellyfish, and cloud shadows on... More »
Oil spill
Last Updated on 2013-02-26 at 12:20
**Read about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.**
An oil spill is the accidental petroleum release into the environment. On land, oil... More »
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Last Updated on 2013-02-22 at 12:42
Overview
Revised 15 October 2010
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also known as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill or the BP Oil Spill) is the largest marine oil spill... More »
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Last Updated on 2013-02-20 at 12:30
Read about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Introduction
On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, en route from Valdez, Alaska to Los... More »
Greenpoint Oil Spill
Last Updated on 2013-01-13 at 20:23
The Greenpoint Oil Release, so named because the series of oil spills occurred in Greenpoint, NY is presumed to be among the largest releases... More »
Pinniped
Last Updated on 2013-01-06 at 17:32
Pinnipeds ("finned-feet") are are group of marine mammals, that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses. The word pinniped is sometimes treated as a synonym for... More »
Oil spills in U.S. coastal waters: background,...
Last Updated on 2012-11-05 at 20:20
Editor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from the Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, "Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background,... More »
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