Oil Spill Links
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground along the coast of Alaska, spilling over 11 million gallons of crude oil. The oil coated the surface of the water and shorelines, killing thousands of birds and other marine species. Although spills from oil tankers are the most notorious, oil spills also result from leaking oil pipelines or accidents on offshore drilling sites. Because oil spills can have a serious impact on the environment, Planet Diary will report on oil spills as they occur.
Try this Planet Diary Oil Spill Activity:
- Oil Spill Preparation and Recovery
Explore how government agencies prepare for oil spills and implement recovery plans after a spill has occurred. You'll also find out the types of coastlines most vulnerable to spills as you interpret sample ESI maps.
What's the Story on Oil Spills?
You'll learn lots of interesting facts about oil spills at this excellent NOAA site.
Responding to Spills
Find out how the Environmental Protection Agency responds to oil spills.
Oil Spill!
Links related to an event-based science module on the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Selected Abstracts & Bibliography of International Oil Spill Research
A searchable database of oil spill articles.
National Spill Control School
This program started at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi in 1977. The Web site includes photos of the Ohmsett test facility, a giant wave tank in New Jersey.
U.S. Water News
This site is drenched with news about water quality, conservation, and policy.
Inflatable Concepts
This Web site has drawings of inflatable oil spill cleanup equipment, including an oil spill containment boom and an oil spill cleanup boat.
National Data Buoy Center
In order to clean up oil spills, crews must know about the local maritime conditions. The United States maintains a system of buoys and stations around its territorial waters to report wave height, wave periods, and sea temperature. Find out more about this system at this Web site, and access a particular station through this map.
Aids for Oil Spill Responders
NOAA provides a variety of tools and information for people dealing with oil spill clean ups.
Oil Spill Activities
These Gulf of Maine Aquarium activities cover topics such as the size of oil tankers, the amount of oil one person uses in a year, and the difficulty of cleaning an oily beach.
Oil and Water Don't Mix… or Do They?
Students will attempt to clean up a miniature oil spill using a variety of techniques in this activity from NASA's Live from Antarctica 2 project.
AIMS Oil Map
See how wind direction and other factors affect a simulated oil spill with this program from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).
