Did the Mexico Area Dodge the Bullet?

The impact of this spill is still felt because of the capping of the well.

In the petroleum industry history, this is the biggest oil spill. (Telegraph. 2010)

This oil spill is believed to have affected the marine, wildlife, fishing and even tourism industries very much. (Tangley, L. 2010.)

  Measures had to be taken to prevent the spreading of oils to miles of the beaches around by use of dispersants, Skimmer ships, and also anchored barriers. Much more money is being used to clean up and to take care of other damages which were caused. Scientists claimed that some of the marine organisms which had been damaged were dying due to the toxic substances they were exposed to. There was the evidence of biodegradation caused by the underwater oil plumes which were so large. Some of these plumes were as large as 16 km long, 4.8 km wide and 91m thick. The government report stated that, "The preponderance of evidence based on careful examination of the results from these four different cruises leads us to conclude that DWH-MC252 oil exists in subsurface waters near the well site in addition to the oil observed at the sea surface and that this oil appears to be chemically dispersed. While no chemical "fingerprinting" of samples was conducted to conclusively determine origin, the proximity to the well site and the following analysis support this conclusion". (PROPUBLICA, 2010).

The oil on the seafloor was not put into consideration when looking at what really happened to the oil. Instead they only looked at the quantity of oil that evaporated, that washed ashore, and that which they believed had stayed under the water waves. Layers of this oil were seen covering the surface of the seafloor and it was all over the entire place. The source of this oil was speculated to have been the organisms which broke the spilled oil and then excreted oily mucus which could sink thereby carrying oil that could sink on the mucous.

More data is being collected as more oil is still leaking from the deepwater horizon and this data is analyzed on how this is changing marine life. Much methane is found in the underwater plumes though not much is known on its effect on the marine life. There is reduction in oxygen due to bacteria that are digesting the oil and this has caused creation of additional dead zones since there is a need of food by microbes and this is not enough. (Journal of Cosmology, 2010). The area is so chilly that several species can not cope with it.

This massive spillage has been the major pollutant of gulf waters and also the shores. There are approximately two million gallons of toxic chemicals dumped down into the waters to break up the oil. There is also the use oil spray dispersants which are very toxic and can pose a big direct threat to aquatic life such as fish, to wildlife and even to human being. These chemicals are Corexit EC9527A and EC9500A. it is associated with the killing of the fish eggs, their embryos and also can damage their hearts. This chemical toxicity is actually worse than that of the oil itself. (Journal of Cosmology, 2010).

For sure, in June 15^th the 40,000 barrels of oil per day together with the millions of the gallons of these toxic chemicals were in the Gulf of Mexico. There could be evidence of dead wildlife out of oil soaking and the oil covered fish and dolphins which were already dead. For the areas which were fully covered with oil thus destroying habitants for various organisms, it will definitely take even decades for them to recover. This is a serious problem since these species now are deprived of their habitats. There is also a prediction that the smothering of oil at the bottom of the ocean will definitely affect the sea life and this might result also to effects on the coral reefs. (Journal of Cosmology, 2010).

The formations of plumes beneath the waters have got hydrocarbons which could be leaking and though these findings are disputed by the federal government, and have not been reacted upon. These toxins are below the water surface and may not dissolve thus continuing to cause death on some of the species. Those of the microscopic creatures and the algae that do give out oxygen will definitely be killed. Since also the number of bacteria is increasing due to their use of compounds of oil, water oxygen will continuously decrease. Due to all these predictions, organisms that inhabit the deep ocean will definitely die. These include the crab, octopi, jellyfish, and tubeworms among others. Organisms that also dive in water such as shark and turtles will also die. (Journal of Cosmology, 2010).

 At the bottom of food chain there are the phytoplankton and some other microorganisms and the chemicals injected at the leaking oil so that it can be broken can affect them. The carbon cycle is also thought to be impacted if those living under the water will die causing those falling from the surface as their food to accumulate at the bottom of the ocean. The government is likely to choose profit over the safety of the environment if they it goes on with the plan of oil drilling 7,000 feet below the water surface. (Journal of Cosmology, 2010).

In fact the area did not dodge the bullet as the politicians are arguing. They are overlooking the effect this spillage has on the environment and how much this poses a threat to the ecosystem. This is a big issue as long as maintenance of a good habitant to these species is going to be achieved.

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