How Does Offshore Drilling Affect the Ocean?
Offshore drilling is becoming more and more prevalent around the globe, and is having a severe impact on ocean environments. Offshore drilling requires the construction of storage tanks, processing and other industrial facilities, and pipelines, all of which can damage wetlands, beaches, coastal habitats as well as the ocean at large. The large amount of toxic, and sometimes radioactive waste, produced by offshore drilling facilities has a devastating impact on marine life. Seismic drilling and oil spills - often byproducts of offshore drilling- also threaten the ocean's ecosystems.
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Well Waste
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The waste produced by offshore drilling facilities can contain toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), each individual oil well generates tens of thousands of gallons of this toxic waste, which often makes its ways into the ocean. Wells also expel "produced water," which is contaminated by toxins like benzene, lead, arsenic, naphthalene, toluene, zinc, radium, and petroleum hydrocarbons. In addition to polluting the oceans, offshore oil wells also pollute the air, releasing carcinogens that cause respiratory problems and add to greenhouse gas emissions.
Seismic Surveys
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Oil companies often use seismic surveys to map out rock formations on the seafloor. These surveys require the use of powerful air guns or cannons, which produce explosive underwater blasts. The sound produced by these blasts can be measured thousands of miles from its origin. This seismic activity can also cause damage to the sensory organs of fish and other sea creatures. As most fish and marine mammals use sound to navigate, find food, avoid predators, and even communicate, seismic surveys can be extremely disruptive and even fatal.
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Oil spills
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According to the NRDC, offshore drilling results in thousands of gallons of oil being spilled each year. Oil is toxic to fish and other marine wildlife, and cleanup methods are extremely inefficient. The intensification of hurricanes and storms has led to an increase in the number of oil spills that occur. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina --according to the NRDC -- resulted in 125 different spills of petroleum-based products from offshore platforms, rigs, and pipelines. Moreover, 685,000 gallons of petroleum product in total was spilled.
Offshore Drilling in the Arctic
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Offshore drilling has an especially harsh impact on the marine ecosystems of the arctic. According to the Oceana Coalition, the increasing number of oil operations in the arctic may lead to an oil spill. While oil spills are already extremely harmful to oceans, the icy conditions of the arctic would make cleaning them up -- which is already a difficult task - close to impossible. Already in the arctic, icebreakers, drill rigs, and seismic surveys create large amounts of noise, which disrupt the migratory patterns of bowhead whales; whales that many arctic communities depend on for survival.
Long Term Effects
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According to the Oceana Coalition, offshore drilling will serve to worsen global climate change, and is a method that runs contrary to an approach needed to take care of the ocean and its ecosystems.
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