the washington post | newspapers in education | june 2010 a washington post nie graphic presentation...
TRANSCRIPT
The Washington Post | Newspapers in Education | June 2010
A Washington Post NIE graphic presentation based on The Washington Post coverage of Gulf Oil Spill
Beleaguered Our
Waters
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Why drill here? Oil-rich states surround
the Gulf of Mexico.
NO
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The Gulf is a sedimentary basin formed during Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of rising and lowering sea level which buried organic material and formed natural gas.
USGS
Why is oil found in the Gulf of Mexico?
Oil Fuels More Than Cars
JAHI CHIKWENDIUTHE/WASHINGTON POST
Oil prices fuel economic growth and opportunity
• Increase in drilling
• Expansion of refineries
• Additional building permits
• Hiring of skilled and specialized labor
• Growth in housing and hospitality industries
What are sources of oil pollution?• Natural – cold seeps• Ballast water• Waste oil
pumping• In-port oil loss• Tanker accidents• Exploration loss• Motor oil
Oil rigs are numerous in the Gulf of Mexico.JAE C. HONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oil Spilled into the Gulf …
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… Occurred During Exploration
• Blowout of wells• Accidental damage to offshore drilling rigs• Cracks, punctures and erosion to transport pipelines
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How does oil affect wildlife?Depends on• Type of oil• Location of the spill • Depth/distance from shore• Weather at sea• Local wildlife• Breeding cycles• Seasonal migrations
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Oil May Cause• Damage to estuaries,
wetlands, coral and oyster reefs, algae, plankton, seagrass, and mangrove habitats
• Destruction of breeding and feeding grounds for many fish, mammals, birds and invertebrates such as oysters and crabs
MARY HOLLINGER/NOAA
Why are these habitats important?Oyster reefs, wetlands, and mangroves…• Buffer shorelines from storm surge• Prevent erosion of wetlands• Provide feeding grounds for birds at low tide• Filter water, removing excess nutrients, sediment, and algae• Provide shelter and food for invertebrates and fish• Attract commercial and recreational fishing
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How does the oil spill affect the food web?
ARIEL DEUTCH/Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Zooplankton or Oil Droplet?• Drifting plankton form a substrate for dispersed oil
droplets to cling to, tainting food used at higher levels of the food chain.
• Oil droplets may be confused by consumers as fish eggs
What eats zooplankton?
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Plankton Soup Zooplankton are primary consumers in the food web.
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Oyster Reefs Provide a Habitat … How many
organisms can you find on this clump of oysters?
STEFAN CLAESSON/NOAA
… Rich in BiodiversityBoth sessile organisms as well as free-swimming ones find refuge in the reef
DR. JAMES P. MCVEY/NOAA
How does your oyster grow?• Release spat (juvenile
oysters) May-August• Attach one generation
atop another• Form mountains of
oysters
PHOTOS NOAA
How will the oil spill affect the production of gametes, settlement of juveniles, and growth of the next generation?
Invertebrates Such as Blue Crabs …• Females undergo a single
mating, storing sperm to periodically fertilize eggs from April to October
• Food tainted with oil would affect egg and sperm viability since both contain high levels of lipids (fats)
• Less feeding means less growth
• Oil dispersants target lipids (also found in eggs)
How would dispersants affect the next generation of crabs?
PHOTOS NOAA
… and Shrimp• Spawn off shore in
the summer-fall seasons
• Feed on zooplankton —dispersed oil affects shrimps’ food source
• Toxins in food source affects health and reproduction
PHOTOS NOAA
At the Top of the Food Chain Biomagnification is
the accumulation of toxins in the tissues of top consumers such as the tuna or dolphin.
NOAA
What is the effect of oil on marine birds?
• Illness may prevent breeding
• Number of eggs laid or thickness of egg is reduced
WILLIAM B. FOLSOM/NMFS, NOAA
Other Effects on Birds• Insulation and
water-proofing of feathers destroyed
• Unable to fly or dive• Hypothermia• Dehydration• Starvation• Ulcers (if oil is ingested)• Damage to adrenal
systems affecting bloodpressure and fluid
• Stress
GERALD HERBERT/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marine Mammals, Reptiles and BirdsMay experience respiratory problems from breathing fumes from oil or droplets of dispersed oil, causing damage to the airways and lungs – congestion, pneumonia, emphysema and even death
Sperm whale surfaces off the coast of MississippiNOAA
Whales• Biomagnification
accumulates toxins in fatty tissue of a mother
• Fatty tissue is converted into milk
• Young calves absorb oil through a mother’s milk
• Oil causes ulceration of skin, mouth and airways
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Filter-feeding Whales• Tar-like oil clogs the
baleen as whales skim the surface of the water, interfering with feeding
• Suppression of the immune system may cause secondary bacterial or fungal infections
• Damage to red blood cells impact oxygen transport and metabolism
Humpback whales breaching out of the GulfNOAA
Additional Health Impact• Liver damage• Stress
NOAA
What are the functions of the liver?
Why would theliver be a likely organ to fail?
In Marine Reptiles Such as Turtles, Oil Can
• Damage eyes, causing ulcers, conjunctivitis and blindness, making it difficult for them to find food, sometimes causing starvation
• Irritate or cause ulceration of skin, mouth and nasal cavities
G. McFALL/OAR
Contamination of Beaches
Causes contamination of eggs, adult turtles and newly hatched turtles
BONNIE STRAWSER,/USFWS TIM REID/NOAA
What are the countermeasures for oil spills?
• Skimmers• Booms• Chemical dispersants• Burning• Relief wells
COURTESY BP
What might be the effect of oil spill countermeasures on marine life?
Dolphins swim alongside a boom.
Oil dispersing chemicals are dropped from an aircraft.
CARDIZ/USAFNOAA
What is the reach of the oil spill?Current research includes• Scientists are comparing the amount of
toxins found in shellfish collected from the Gulf Coast area in the 1930's to samples being collected from areas affected by the recent oil spill.
• Toxins found in May will be compared to August collections.
• The quantity of oil absorbed and whether the source was from water or food can be determined.
PHOTOS NOAA
Regeneration
NO
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