The 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oilrig. The explosion occurred on April 20, 2010. The oilrig sank on April 22, 2010, causing massive amounts of oil to begin leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
102 school gymnasiums could be filled from floor to ceiling with the oil that entered the water after this disaster.
Over 400 wildlife species are seriously threatened by this oil spill. Threatened species include sea life such as whales, tuna and shrimp; land animals such as the gray fox and white-tailed deer; amphibians such as the alligator and the snapping turtle, and at least 30 species of birds.
The official toll of dead birds is about 1,200, a fraction of the 35,000 discovered after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. But this, too, has been called into question. Officials can only count the birds they can find, and many think a number of oily birds have sought refuge in the marshes.
"It's an instinctive response: They're hiding from predators while they recover," said Kerry St. Pé, head of a government program that oversees Louisiana's Barataria Bay marshes. "They plan to recover, of course, and they don't. They just die."
Species and ecosystems that had taken centuries to develop are now being killed in a matter of months. Doug Inkley, senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation, said "I've been frustrated with the calm reassurances that we've been receiving, because . . . I don't know what they're based on."
Scientists have found many forms of marine life, predominantly fish, sharks and whales drifting dangerously close to the surf. They believe that the oil, which is robbing the water of oxygen particles, is driving the animals towards the beaches in hopes for cleaner waters. Which, of course, they don't find.
Asked whether the accident could have been prevented, CEO Tony Hayward said, "All accidents can be prevented -- there's no doubt about that." He claimed that the "blowout preventer" failed to operate before the explosion. A blowout preventer is a large valve at the top of a well, and activating it will stop the flow of oil. For whatever reason, this did not happen, and as a result, every organism living in the Gulf of Mexico is being threatened. All of which, could have been prevented had someone checked the "blowout preventer".
Another study, from the National Academy of Engineering/National Research Council and requested by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, blamed BP for “insufficient consideration of risk and a lack of operating discipline” that contributed significantly to the disastrous oil spill.
In a startling development at the end of October, the Presidential commission assigned to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster concluded that Halliburton – the company responsible for sealing the well – knowingly used a cement mixture it knew to be unstable.
If that isn't enough, the rig apparently "did not meet recommended safety standards before the explosion".
So not only did this oil spill occur that is compromising every living animal and plant in the area, creating irreparable damage, and costing BP billions of dollars in repair costs, but this whole incident could have been prevented if certain companies would abide to the rules and regulations and have consideration for the delicacy of the waters they were working in and how difficult it would be to clean them if something happened.
The marine life, both plants and animals, will never fully recover from this disaster. The waters will never be returned to their original state, (not to mention the Gulf of Mexico was polluted even before the spill) and by the time the waters are deemed ideal conditions for liveforms to live in, thousands of animals will have suffered and died due to this horrific accident.
Judging by our track record, it's about time we start preparing for the worst.
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