Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural

Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

A SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PAPER

“LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT OF OIL SPILLS”
PROFESSOR: GAIDAJIS GEORGE
SUMMARY/HOMEWORK BY: AUTHOR OF ORIGINAL PAPER:
POZOS MICHAEL PAUL F. KINGSTON
MSC STUDENT IN OIL AND GAS ENGINEERING OF HONORARY SENIOR LECTURER IN THE SCHOOL OF
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN SCIENCES AT HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY
MACEDONIA AND THRACE
BIO: HTTP://WWW.CMBB.HW.AC.UK/PEOPLE/HONORARY-
PROFESSORS-FELLOWS/PAUL-KINGSTON.HTML

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

DEFINITIONS OF “CLEAN” AND “RECOVERY”

• OIL
 NATURALLY OCCURRING SUBSTANCE
 SPILLED OIL PERSIST IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
 CLEANED BUT NOT ABSENT
 ECOSYSTEM RECOVERED TO NORMALITY

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

FATE OF OIL SPILLED INTO THE SEA

• WEATHERING OF SPILLS
 SPREADING OF OIL (ΔΙΑΣΚΟΡΠΙΣΜΟΣ)
 WEATHER CONDITIONS AND CURRENTS

 EVAPORATION BY SUN (ΕΞΑΤΜΙΣΗ)

 EXXON VALDEZ: 30%
 AMOCO CADIZ: 40%
 JESSICA (GALAPAGOS): OVER 50%
 OXIDIZATION BY UV RADIATION (ΟΞΕΙΔΩΣΗ- ΦΩΤΟΛΥΣΗ)
 PRODUCE TOXIC COMPOUNDS – LOW CONCENTRATIONS
 DISSOLUTION (DEGRADATION PROCESSES) (ΔΙΑΛΥΣΗ
ΥΔΡΟΓΟΝΑΝΘΡΑΚΩΝ)

 DISPERSION (ΔΙΑΧΥΣΗ)
 EMULSIFICATION TO MOUSSE → TO ASPHALT ONSHORE
(ΓΑΛΑΚΤΟΜΑΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ – ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΙΑ ΣΤΕΡΕΟΥ)

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

LONG-TERM IMPACT ON SEABIRDS

• FATALITIES AND POPULATION
 THE EXXON VALDEZ SPILL:
35K CARCASSES/35K TONNES SPILLED
 THE BRAER SPILL:
1.5K CARCASSES/85K TONNES SPILLED
• LITTLE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM IMPACT

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

LONG-TERM IMPACTS ON BENTHIC ORGANISMS

• DEPENDING ON SHORELINE EXPOSURE

• RECOVERY OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES DIFFER

• THE “AMPELISCA” EXAMPLE

TEN YEARS UNTIL RESTORATION

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

HOW LONG OIL PERSIST IN THE ENVIRONMENT

SHORELINE EXPOSURE REMOVING OIL SPILL
• EXPOSED VS SHELTERED SHORELINE • AMOCO CADIZ: 8 YEARS UNTIL FULL
• NON REMOVABLE OIL PERSISTS FOR LONG RECOVERY
 THEN ASPHALT KEEPS THE OIL UNWEATHERED • EXXON VALDEZ: 4 YEARS UNTIL FULL
• REMOVING OIL HELPS DEGRADATION RECOVERY

NOT REMOVING OIL SPILL

• ARROW: 20 YEARS LATER OIL STILL PRESENT
• METULA: OIL STILL PRESENT

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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

BIOACCUMULATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS

• BIOACCUMULATION: OIL TO BE ACCUMULATED IN

TISSUE OF MARINE ORGANISMS

A FINE EXAMPLE

• MUSSELS (ΜΥΔΙΑ)
• RAPIDLY CONCENTRATE CONTAMINANTS ABOVE
AMBIENT LEVEL BUT WHEN RETURNED TO CLEAN
WATER, DEPURATION PHASE LAST ONLY 16 DAYS

• DETECTION OF TOXIC COMPONENTS VERY LOW

REGARDING FOOD-CHAIN
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 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural
Gas Technology
MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering

PROSPECTS FOR FULL ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY

• SOME SPECIES SUFFER IN LONG FROM OIL SPILLS

• MOST CASES ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY IS FAST (2-10 YEARS)

• RESTORATION IS EFFECTIVE DUE TO REHABILITATION AND RECRUITMENT

WHEN OIL HAS BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE SCENE, LONG TERM IMPACTS ARE
LIMITED TO COMMUNITY STRUCTURAL ANOMALIES THAT PERSIST BECAUSE OF
THEIR LONGEVITY, ALTHOUGH IN SOME SPECIAL CASES FEW TONNES OF OIL
MAY CAUSE TOTAL EXTINCTION

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 SPECIAL THANKS
END OF PRESENTATION

Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology School of Engineering Technology Department of Petroleum & Natural Gas Technology

MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering