HW 2

Question 1

(Similarity) The Exxon Valdez incident and the Deepwater Horizon disaster were two seminal events in environmental toxicology, with both being _____________

Answer 1

oil spills in the US

Question 2

Exxon Valdez incident was in ______ and the BP Deep Water Horizon was in ______

Answer 2

1989

2010

Question 3

Key differences in terms of scales:

Answer 3

Exxon Valdez:
Volume at least 4 times less than BP (approx. 40 million L). 15% of oil in tanker holds didn’t leak

BP Deep water horizon:
Spill volume was immense (approx. 780 million L) and lasted months.

Question 4

Key differences in terms of oil properties:

Answer 4

Exxon Valdez:
Heavy & partially viscous - didn’t evaporate easily in the cold climate of Alaska

BP Deep water horizon:
Lighter & gaseous - easier evaporation in the warmer climate of Gulf of Mexico

Question 5

Key differences in terms of atmospheric and sea conditions:

Answer 5

Exxon Valdez:
Sea surface temperatures range from 4-13°C. Storm hit the area after 2.5 days - drove slick towards shoreline. Lead to wide dispersion of spilled oil.

BP Deep water horizon:
Multiple subsea, pelagic, and coastal ecosystems. Deep ocean temperatures around 4°C and surface water range from 10-33°C.

Question 6

Key differences in terms of source:

Answer 6

Exxon Valdez:
Finite - limited to what was carried in ship tanker holds

BP Deep water horizon:
Continuous leakage from oil well in Gulf that extended approx. 5500 meters into the rock.

Question 7

Key differences in terms of location:

Answer 7

Exxon Valdez:
Pacific’s Prince William Sound, Alaska. Remoteness + assumption that major spills will be near Port of Valdez oil terminus = little provisions made in case of spills

BP Deep water horizon:
Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles from Louisiana coast. Corporate and government authorities prepared for possible oil spills because of many oil platforms along middle and western Gulf coast

Question 8

Key differences in terms of who is at-risk?

Answer 8

Exxon Valdez:
Alaskan wildlife (land & sea), fisheries, tourism

BP Deep water horizon:
Migratory waterfowl, fisheries, wetlands (near-shore), tourism, beaches, and shorelines

Question 9

Key differences in terms of Interorganizational Factors:

Answer 9

Exxon Valdez:
Multi-organizational oil spill. Federal response plan under development & Alaska state government was underprepared. Planning was dispersed/scattered.

BP Deep water horizon:
Sophisticated spill planning. State & federal officials prepared for spills (National Response Plan & National Incident Management System); however, they were not prepared for a mile-deep well that discharged oil in the sea for months.