Oil Spill Response
When it comes to mixing oil and water, oceans suffer from far more than an occasional devastating spill. Disasters make headlines, but hundreds of millions of gallons of oil quietly end up in the seas every year, mostly from non-accidental sources Large spills--even though a relatively minor source of ocean oil pollution--can be devastating. The same amount of oil can do more damage in some areas than others. Coral reefs and mangroves are more sensitive to oil than sandy beaches or sea-grass beds; intertidal zones are the most sensitive. Crude oil is most likely to cause problems S. Because human error causes 46% of oil spills and 34 % of equipment failure, the first strategy must be that of prevention. However, assuming that in the particular case prevention has not been effective the remaining strategic options are: Containment and Recovery removes the pollutant from the environment by mechanical means. This strategy has the following characteristics: Need for Logistics Support Effectiveness Sharply Impacted by Weather
Dispersants act in the same way as household detergents; when they are added to a film of oil on the surface of the water the oil breaks up into very small droplets forming thin emulsions which disperse in the water column. In effect, they speed up the natural processes of dispersion. In dispersed form the oil is subject to degradation by micro-organisms which occur naturally in the sea. A characteristic plume can be seen spreading slowly down the water surface shortly after treatment if an oil has been satisfactorily dispersed. Dispersants do not destroy the oil. However, this must be weighed against the fact that dispersing the oil in the water column makes its toxic components more readily available to marine organisms, particularly in shallow water.
Some common words found in the essay are:
CHARACTERISTICS NOMENCLATURE, Booming Boom, DISPERSANTS Dispersants, Encounter Rate, In-situ Burning, Curtain Boom, , Gelling Agents, Barriers Usually, BOOM Oil, oil water, fence boom, sorbent, surface water, belt , spilled oil, boom oil, submersion, water boom, curtain boom, belt sorbent, oil surface water, sp gravity , booming boom deployed, oil in-situ burning,
Approximate Word count = 3690
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)
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