Hydrocarbons

Question 1

FPSO

Answer 1

Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel

holds the oil from the platform

Question 2

Satellite remote sensing of oil spills

Answer 2

Radar in space

Reflected energy recorded

Pattern of reflection can be mapped out, resolution of 10-25m

Very high reflectance where there is oil i.e. the oil calms the sea surface so the radar energy bounces back with greater strength

Question 3

Prestige oil spill

Answer 3

Spain, November 2002

20,000,000 gallons (US) of oil

Question 4

GNOME

Answer 4

Predicting the movement of oil spills

using open-source software

with wind and current data

Question 5

How do you clean up the oil?

Answer 5

• booms and skimmers at sea
• aerial dispersants
• burning the oil
• scrape off surface (deeper penetration of oil into the ground?)
• pressure hose back into the sea & then use booms and skimmers
• Bioremediation

Question 6

Dispersants

Answer 6

To speed up breakdown of oil

Reduces oil on beaches and the contact of oil with wildlife

But more easily passes into organisms & breakdown releases toxic components

Some include oil based compounds -adding more hydrocarbon to marine system

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) released

Question 7

PAH

Answer 7

Polycyclic(nuclear) Aromatic Hydrocarbons

oil derived compounds that cause physiological effects

carcinogenic

Question 8

Effects of oil on seabirds

Answer 8

• matting, waterproofing lost, can’t thermo-regulate
• try to preen out the oil, ingest large quantities
• stop eating as organs become impacted by oil
• secondary impacts: looses weight, dehydration, loss of buoyancy

Question 9

Effects of oil on turtles

Answer 9

• salt gland fails, epithelium breaksdown, allowing infections to occur
• fewer hatchlings and scute deformations
• ingest tar balls
• inhalation of vapours