FratFiles

• Save Paper

There was absolutely devastating damage to the ecosystems of Alaska caused by the Exxon Valdez tragedy. The crude oil covered a huge area of 460 miles in total, with 1300 miles of affected coastlines. 200 of these miles were affected very heavily. Over 11000000 gallons of oil escaped from the tanker and devastated the wildlife, mainly marine.
Carcasses of organisms killed by oil usually sink to the floor of the ocean, so no-one knows how many organisms were killed. Estimates soar at 250000 sea birds, 2800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales and billions of salmon and herring eggs. The food webs were understandably disrupted, with all levels of consumers and producers being affected. The oil created a film over the water, through which neither oxygen nor light could penetrate. Without enough light, the producers in the environment could not photosynthesize, depriving all the organisms in the vicinity of food. The consumers could not breathe if they......

View the rest of this paper...

Approximate Word Count: 873
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

Similar Essays

1. History Of Oil Spills In Australia
   

   History of oil spills in Australia There was absolutely devastating damage to the ecosystems of Alaska caused by the Exxon Valdez tragedy. The crude oil covered a huge area of 460

2. Marine Biotechnology
   

   in the USA where 53% approved in a 1986 survey, while 73% approved of bacteria to clean oil spills or disease-resistant crops (Maser, 1996). The idea of mistreatment of fish as

3. Otec
   

   plants are greater since the harm they can cause would be much greater (nuclear meltdown, oil spills, toxic fumes, hazardous waste, etc..). As you can see from the above analysis

4. Qantas, A Case Study Of Restructuring Program
   

   established new aviation and tourism industries to reduce their reliance on their finite oil and gas reserves. By contrast, Australia has one of the most open aviation policies in

5. How Do Wars Affect Economy
   

   peoples' income, thus generating economic growth. So in the short run wars and oil spills are good for economic growth in the same way as investing in your child's education