Challenges

One Step At A Time

 One of the biggest challenges that has to be addressed when it comes to oil spills is the cost of the clean-up.

The cost of an oil spill clean-up depends on the location of the spill [4]

 The above graph is based on number from a decade ago.  Costs have definitely increase significantly, with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill clean-up costing about $6 million per day. [8] Most of this cost comes from the removal of the oil itself, with cost increasing the longer the oil is allowed to spill.  The more oil, the more money it will cost and the more animals suffer.

Cost (average per ton spilled) of clean-up decrease drastically with increasing dependence on dispersants

The use of dispersants can help reduce the cost of clean-up.  When dispersants were either used as the secondary method of clean-up or not at all, the cost of clean-up was nearly $15,000 per ton of oil spilled. [4]  When dispersants are the primary method or the only method, clean-up is only about $2,500 a ton.[4]

The biggest challenge when determining how to go about cleaning up after an oil spill is deciding how much we need to interfere with Mother Nature.

Percent of oil removed by different processes.  These number pertain to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [6,10]

As evidenced by the graph above most of the oil is removed naturally, with 25% of it evaporating or dissolving and 16% of it being naturally dispersed by waves (which increases surface area, allowing more bacteria to degrade the oil).  [6,10] Only a small proportion of the oil was removed via main-made efforts, with 8% being chemically dispersed, 5% being burned at the surface, and 3% being skimmed from the surface. [5,9] Clearly, Mother Nature does most of the work, but she still needs help, especially since 26% of the oil still remains in the water.  The best strategy seems to be letting nature clean up after itself, with the aid of man-made dispersants.  But what do we do about the animals?

Considering that close to only 1% of cleaned birds end up surviving more than a few days in the wild after being released, it may seem easy to say that we should just euthanize the birds. [7] If most of them are just going to die anyways, why waste all of those resources on a lost cause? It's just not that simple.  There are several factors to consider when faced with the decision to clean a bird (or any other oiled animal).  The bird's age, size, and exposure to the oil are critical factors in determining whether or not to clean.  It probably won't be worth it to clean a really old bird or one that has been exposed to the oil for so long that there isn't even any hope for it.  Oil ingestion and ability to adapt to a new environment are also things to consider.  A bird that has already ingested a ton of oil is probably a lost cause since the oil will likely cause extensive organ damage and if an animal cannot adapt to a new environment, then they will not survive very long.

There have been success stories, where deciding to clean and rehabilitate an animal may have contributed to the animal being taken off of the endangered species list (for example, the brown pelican). [7]

There is no cut and dry answer when it comes to oil spill clean-ups as there are many factors to consider.  It is clear, however, that the most effective strategy is the one that allows mankind and nature to work together.