Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

BIOL 381 > 14: Oil spills > Flashcards

14: Oil spills Flashcards

1
Q

What is crude oil

A

Liquid mixture of hundreds of different petrochemicals, later refined to make products such as gasoline, heating oil, etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is diluted bitumen (dilbit)

A

Bitumen (crude oil + sand) diluted with lighter petroleum to make it less viscous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is petroleum

A

Broad category that includes both crude oil and petroleum products. The terms oil and petroleum are often used interchangeably.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Main way we transport fuel in Canada

A

Pipeline

Small amounts marine and rail

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Four major pipelines in Canada? Where does most of Canada’s oil go?

A
  • Trans Mountain (Edm to BC)
  • Keystone (AB to USA)
  • Express (AB to USA)
  • Enbridge (Edm to USA)

99% goes to the USA

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Moving petroleum by sea? Major ports?

A

Most tanker traffic is to the USA, rest overseas

Ports:
- Vancouver
- Kitimat, BC
- Saint John, NB
- Come by Chance, NF&L

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Characteristics of terrestrial oil spills? Marine?

A

Terrestrial:
- most common
- usually ruptured pipeline
- >1000 incidents in Canada in past decade
- impacts localized area

Marine:
- less frequent, but more petroleum
- single spill can release as much as an entire year of terrestrial spills
- damages disperse, oil transported across by ocean currents

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Fate of spilled petroleum through natural processes in water

A
  • Evaporation
  • Spreading
  • Dissolution
  • Residual materials
  • Degradation

Slides 12, 17 images

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is evaporation of petroleum?

A

Evaporation of fumes and vapors reduces volume of spillage
Can eliminate 100% gasoline, 50% crude oil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is spreading of oil

A

Movement of an oil slick over water or land. Slow on land (soil absorbent), quicker on water (currents and wind)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is dissolution of oil

A

Pollution of the water beneath an oil slick
Lighter hydrocarbons become dissolved in water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are residual materials in oil spills

A

Heavier hydrocarbons form a gelatinous emulsion known as mousse, can wash up onto shorelines or sink

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is degradation of oil

A

The slow decomposition of petroleum by either microbes (biodegradation) or photo-oxidation by UV radiation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Fate of spilled petroleum on land

A
  • localized impacts (unless very large)
  • soils high in organic matter than can absorb petroleum
  • tends to accumulate in low spots on landscape
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What makes petroleum toxic

A
  • contains many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene
  • VOCs are carcinogens, can cause neurological and reproductive damage, and are irritants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Acute toxicity of oil

A
  • some hydrocarbons destroy cellular membranes, killing tissues
  • clean up process can also kill organisms
17
Q

How can oil spills cause organisms to suffocate?

A
  • surface waters become supersaturated with O2 due to atmospheric exchange
  • oil slicks form a barrier between air and epilimnion (surface water) which prevents atmospheric exchange
  • dissolved O2 decreases = epilimnetic organisms can suffocate
18
Q

Biggest concern about oil in soil? Affects on organisms

A

Biggest concern is petroleum seeping into groundwater

May kill soil microorganisms, arthropods, and higher organisms = disrupts food web

19
Q

Effects of oil on coastal areas

A
  • oil can be toxic to marsh and coastal grasses
  • kill the grasses, reduce the protection from wind and water = erosion
20
Q

Four ways oil spills are cleaned up

A
  • Mechanical recovery: physical containment, collection of spilled oil
  • In-situ burning: controlled burning of spilled oil to remove it (creates GHG)
  • Chemical recovery: use of dispersants or gelling agents to either break down the oil into smaller droplets or to congeal it
  • Bioremediation: use of fertilizers and nutrients to increase microorganism growth, which biodegrade the oil
21
Q

When are dispersants usually used? Example?

A

In choppy waters, when other methods are ineffective

E.g. COREXIT
- used to clean up Deepwater Horizon
- but may be more acutely toxic than oil

22
Q

Slides 30-35

A

Cleaning

23
Q

What do gelling agents do? Why are they good? Problem?

A

Solidifiers that physically bond with oil, forming a rubbery solid
Low toxicity, low flammability
May be able to recycle solidified oil

Problem: expensive and need large volume

24
Q

What is bioremediation? How do we do it

A

Use of microorganisms to break down and degrade petroleum

Can seed organisms into spills, or fertilize spills to increase their pops

25
Q

Best ways to clean terrestrial spills

A
  • Easiest to just remove the affected soil from the site
  • Bioremediation can be used
  • Use of electrical resistance heating (electrodes that warm the soil and heat make hydrocarbons evaporate)
26
Q

What was a recent oil spill?

A

Huntington Beach off Southern California
October 2, 2021

27
Q

When was Deepwater Horizon oil spill? What went wrong?

A

2010, 5 million barrels

Piping failure and buildup of natural gas filled up the drill column which exploded
Blowout preventer malfunctioned and manual override was not enacted fast enough

28
Q

What problems were there at the Deepwater Horizon site previously?

A
  • Previous equipment malfunction
  • Faulty concrete
  • Lied on safety record
  • Ignored signs of problem
  • Ignored workers concerns
29
Q

Slides 44,45

A

Deepwater horizon images

30
Q

How was the oil from Deepwater Horizon cleaned up? How much was paid?

A
  • 23.5 million liters of oil skimmed
  • 42 million liters burned
  • 62.5 million liters dispersed using COREXIT

British Petroleum required to pay 18.7 million USD for cleanup and ecological restoration

31
Q

Examples of species affected by deepwater horizon

A
  • Laughing gull 32% decline
  • 20% of all juvenile Kemp’ Ridley sea turtles died
  • habitats of 4 sea turtle species were degraded
  • bottlenose dolphin pops have decreased 50% in one Louisiana bay (direct mortality and reduced repro)
32
Q

Slides 51, 52

A

After the oil DH

33
Q

What is happening in the gulf of mexico now? Why is recovery so slow?

A

Impacts still being studied
Most oil is weathered by now, fishery closures have been lifted
Oil linked to birth defects and deaths of marine orgs

Recovery by animals is slow due to bioaccumulate (and biomagnification) of toxic COREXIT

34
Q

Slides 54-56

A

Exxon-Valdez oil spill

35
Q

What have we learned from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill

A

Happened in 1989

Weathered oil will persist, has been observed on Alaskan cost 16+ years after spill

Chronic oil exposure will impact wildlife
- chronic ingestion from grooming
- reduced reproduction, increased mortality in fish, mammals, birds
- bioaccumulation will occur

36
Q

Indirect effects of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill

A
  • Food web disruptions from trophic cascades
  • reduced biogenic habitat
  • loss of keystone species
  • disruption of social species e.g. orcas
37
Q

Types of mechanical recovery

A
  • containment booms
  • skimmers and sorbents

BIOL 381 (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions