Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

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


See full index

BIOL 381 > Oil Spills > Flashcards

Oil Spills Flashcards

1
Q

we transport a lot of fuel, such as crude oil, diluted bitumen, and petroleum. Define each

A

Crude Oil= liquid mixture of hundreds of different petrochemicals (Hydrocarbons), later refined to make products like gasoline

Diluted Bitumen (dilbit)= bitumen (crude oil + sand) diluted with lighter petroleum (usually naphtha) to make it less viscous

Petroleum= broad category that includes both crude oil and petroleum products

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

T/F
“oil” and “petroleum” are used interchangeably

A

true, but not entirely accurate b/c petroleum is broader

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

Most of Canada’s oil is transported by ___
Name the 4 major ones

A

pipeline

  • transmountain
  • keystone
  • express
  • enbridge
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

__% of the oil that Canada exports goes to the USA

A

99%

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

Terrestrial vs Marine Oil Spills

A

Terrestrial:
- most common (ruptured pipeline)
- impacts localized area- easier to contain on land)

Marine:
- less frequent, but much more petroleum is released
- very hard to contain= major impacts (oil is transported by sea currents/ winds)

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

Fates of Spilled Petroleum (by weathering):
Evaporation=

A

evaporation of fumes / vapors reduces volume of spillage and can eliminate up to :
- 100% of gasoline
- 50% of crude oil
- 10% of denser bunker fuel

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

Fates of Spilled Petroleum (by weathering) :
Spreading=

A

the movement of an oil slick over water or land
- slow on land (soil is very absorbent)
- faster on water (due to water currents/ winds)

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

Fates of Spilled Petroleum (by weathering):
Dissolution=

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
9
Q

Fates of Spilled Petroleum (by weathering):
Residual Materials=

A

heavier hydrocarbons (lighter ones evaporate or dissolve) form a gelatinous emulsion (water-oil) known as mousse
- mousse can wash up onto shorelines or sink to bottom
- also tar balls

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

Fates of Spilled Petroleum (by Weathering):
degradation=

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
11
Q

what makes petroleum toxic?

A
  • contains many volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  • VOCs are irritants and carcinogens
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Toxicity of oil depends on its ___ and level of ___

A

source
processing

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

What are the 2 types of crude oil?

A
  1. Sweet Crude Oil
    - low sulfur
    - better for making gasoline
  2. Sour Crude Oil
    - high sulfur
    - requires much more processing to be used
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

When a bird’s feathers become soaked in oil, what are the risks?

A

oil mats the feathers and separates the tiny barbs in the wing, which impairs the waterproofing
this puts the bird at risk of hypothermia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

why are fish less impacted by other animals (ducks, for example) by oil spills

A

fish are more mobile, so they can typically avoid the oil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What risk do oil slicks pose for aquatic organisms

A

suffocation!
- oil slicks form a barrier between air and epilimnion, preventing atmospheric exchange
- especially impacts organisms that live at the surface, because they’re adapted to living with high oxygen

17
Q

How does an oil spill impact soils?

A

The biggest concern: petroleum will seep into groundwater

may kill soil organisms/ higher organisms (can disrupt food webs)

can also produce harmful fumes if it evaporates from the soil

18
Q

____ ___ help stabilize food webs; if they’re impacted, the whole food web is in trouble

A

carnivorous fish
(they’re “critically resilient” in the food web)

19
Q

How could an oil spill increase coastal erosion?

A

oil is toxic to marsh/ coastal grasses
- kill grass= reduce protection from wind/ water, and erosion increases

20
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
Mechanical Recovery=

A

physical containment and collection of spilled oil

21
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
In-Situ Burning=

A

controlled burning of spilled oil to remove it
- this is fast

22
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
Chemical Recovery=

A

use of dispersants or gelling agents to either break down the oil into smaller droplets, or to congeal it together

23
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
Bioremediation=

A

use of fertilizers and nutrient to increase microorganism growth, which in turn break down the oil

24
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
List and describe 3 methods of mechanical recovery

A
  1. containment booms= floating barriers used to contain the oil on the surface (works b/c oil floats)
  2. skimmers= work like a vacuum to suck the oil away, but not the water (hydrophobic/ oleophilic)
  3. Sorbents= straw, clay, nylon etc- used to soak up the oil (works for smaller terrestrial spills)
25
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
What are some problems associated with in-situ burning?

A
  • causes air pollution
  • only works w/ low wind
  • best for lighter petroleum
  • produces residues that often sink and persist (like mousse)
26
Q

How Oil Spills Are Cleaned Up:
When are dispersants (chemical recovery) used?
What are some problems associated with using them?

A

used in choppy waters when other methods are ineffective (aircraft/ boats disperse it)
Problems:
- must be used immediately to be effective
- works better in warm waters
- sometimes they can be more toxic than the oil itself… (COREXIT)

27
Q

What is COREXIT?

A

a dispersant used for chemical recovery of oil spills
- used extensively to clean up deepwater horizon
- very toxic to organisms inc humans: altered blood in the workers who dispersed it
- banned in Europe, but not in Canada and US

28
Q

What are the 2 methods of chemical recovery?

A
  • dispersants
  • gelling agents (solidifiers)
29
Q

How do gelling agents work to clean up oil spills?
- 2 benefits?
- 2 problems?

A

physically bonds with oil, forming a rubbery solid
Benefits:
- low toxicity/ flammability
- can potentially recycle the solidified oil (working on methods)

Problems:
-expensive
- need a large volume of it

30
Q

What’s a method used just to clean terrestrial spills?

A

Electrical Resistance Heating
- put a current through contaminated soil= heats up = increased evaporation
- even moving the soil to insert the electrodes can increase evaporation

31
Q

When did the Huntington Beach (Orange County, California) oil spill occur?
How did it happen?

A

Oct 2021

  • a cargo ship anchor snagged the pipeline and it leaked
32
Q

_____ ______ is the largest oil spill in history, and it happened in ___.

A

Deepwater Horizon
2010

33
Q

Where did the Deepwater Horizon occur and what happened?

A

The Gulf of Meixco

there was a piping failure on the oil drilling rig, and natural gas built up, causing an explosion.
- Blowout Preventer (BOP) malfunctioned and manual override wasn’t enacted fast enough to prevent the blowout
- 11 people died trying to manually override the BOP

  • leaked for 89 days before they could cap it (still leaking a bit)
34
Q

T/F
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill couldn’t be seen from space, but it did spread well into the ocean and along American coasts

A

false
it could be seen from space!

35
Q

Why is the Gulf of Mexico healing so slowly from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?

A
  • animal recovery slowed due to bioaccumulation/ biomagnification of COREXIT
  • oil linked to birth defects and death of marine organisms
36
Q

What was the largest oil spill in history before Deepwater Horizon? When/ where?

A

Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill

Alaska, 1989
note- actions taken to clean up deepwater horizon were learned from this one

37
Q

Why did the Exxon-Valdez Oil spill occur?

A

the captain was drunk and ran into a coral reef (yikes)

38
Q

The Hebei Spirit Oil Spill occurred in ____ in ___ ___

A

2007
South Korea

  • not too big, but still a lot of oil got into the ocean
39
Q

What We’ve Learned From Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill
- weathered oil will ____ (has been observed on Alaskan Coast ___ after the spill)
- indirectly impacts ___ ___, ____ species, and can lead to the loss of ____ species

A

persist, 16+ years

food webs, social species, keystone species

BIOL 381 (22 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions