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On Saturday, an oil spill from a bursting pipeline continues to haunt California’s coastal cities. The pipeline is reported to have been emptied as a result of over 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean. However, the aftermath of one of the state’s worst oil spills is just beginning. The pipeline, owned by Amplify Energy, stretches just over five miles from the port of Long Beach to an offshore rig. The 8,320-acre oil slick continues to migrate south. Chunks of oil were washed ashore in Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, prompting officials to close their popular beaches to visitors.
Reports of oil washing away dead fish signal an ecological disaster for marine life. In an interview with KTLA, Heal the Bay CEO Shelley Luce said, “We already have reports of dolphins swimming across the oil slick. They can’t get away from it quickly. ” Lucy also highlighted the impact of the oil spill on the entire food chain, from plankton to humans. In addition, the oil spill threatens a variety of bird species in the region, such as the long-billed fletcher and reddish heron, which are less common in the area.
Dead birds have already been seen along the contaminated coastline.
Hurry to save wildlife from a catastrophic oil spill
In response to the devastating blow, teams sent from the Oiled Wildlife Protection Network have already begun rescue efforts. They tweeted the image the first bird to be looked after. Veterinarians stabilized the puppy before transporting it to a long-term care facility. It was one of four birds found by the organization. While it looks like the sanderling story will be successful, the brown pelican was too seriously injured. As a result, OWCN decided to put him to sleep.
Teams scour the area looking for injured land and sea creatures, donning protective suits to wade through the toxic environment. The organization’s director, Dr. Michael Zikcardi, told Newsweek that more than 300 calls have been made to the hotline for field calls upon detection of affected animals. He also touted 50 to 75 percent success in reintegrating rescued wildlife into a healthy environment.
Contaminated by the toxic spill, the 25-acre Talbert Marsh Conservation Area is located near Huntington State Beach. The reserve is home to dozens of bird species and provides them with undeveloped wetlands for nesting. To minimize contamination, officials from the California Department of Fisheries and Wildlife continue to use a variety of preventative tools to stop the spread of oil. They hope to protect the nearby Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, another protected home for vulnerable wildlife.
Environmental costs of an oil spill
As oil diffuses into ocean waters, it spreads rapids over a vast area. The nature of ocean spills is inherently difficult to predict as it is affected by ocean currents and weather. Officials hoped these factors could carry this latest spill further out to sea, but an unanticipated change in currents carried the leak inland, settling a quarter-size globule on the sand, submerging microscopic particles over long stretches of the beach. As a result, everything becomes toxic, harmful to all living things that it encounters. Officials predict beach closures for several months to restore order in the wake of a pipeline rupture.
Most of the leaked oil floats to form a sheen on the surface of the water, where it infects seabirds and ocean-breathing air-breathing animals such as sea turtles and dolphins. Sea otters often ingest toxic chemicals as their skins become contaminated and are cleaned regularly. When the oil is washed ashore, birds gathering along the seabed and on beaches become infected, and sand-dwelling creatures such as snails and shellfish become infected.
Although the oil is not as toxic as gasoline, the oil found in these leaks is the most harmful as it covers the animals that come into contact with it. Toxicity is of great concern when a creature wears this substance on its body for an extended period of time. Some even die of hypothermia as a result of not being able to keep warm. For example, birds become weighed down and unable to flutter to warm their bodies.
When specialists go to polluted beaches, they provide water and warmth to animals with which they manage to quarrel. After providing first aid on site, they send the animals to the center for treatment. While early estimates of affected birds seem larger than what crews observe on the ground, time will tell the full extent of this oil spill. Affected fish are still being found as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill a decade ago.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How serious was the Deepwater Horizon spill?
The Deepwater Horizon leak in 2010 was the largest oil spill in the history of the United States. When a natural gas explosion damaged the seal, a steady stream of oil began to flow into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. It took several attempts to close the leak, during which time more than 200 million gallons of oil poured into the ocean. The first explosion killed 11 workers. It is estimated that the number of injured or killed birds is in the tens of thousands, as well as marine mammals and more than 6,000 sea turtles. Even a decade later, scientists continue to study the full extent of the damage done to oceanic habitats. The toxic particles drifted to the seabed over the next year, wiping out populations of coral and fish, whose subsequent generations changed as a result.
Are oil spills occurring naturally?
Oil leaks occur naturally in the ocean. Oil spills from cracks in the seabed in steady streams, allowing wildlife in the vicinity to adapt. This is in contrast to human spills, where huge amounts of oil are released into the environment with devastating consequences.
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