How Offshore Drilling Destroys the Marine Ecosystem
Offshore drilling is the process of exploring, testing and then drilling for oil and natural gas in deep water areas of the world's oceans. Pollution and oil leaks have seriously damaged the environment surrounding drilling rigs.
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Exploration
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The Bionomic Fuel website reports that the effects on marine life begin with the exploration process. Oil companies use seismic waves to determine the presence of oil and gas beneath the ocean floor. These seismic waves disorient marine life, such as whales and crabs.
Drilling Fluid
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Drilling fluid used to lubricate drill bits for offshore drilling is a classified pollutant. When mixed with mud, silt and rock, drilling fluid contains naturally occurring radioactive materials that are spread over the ocean floor.
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Dumping
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Federal regulations limit the dumping of oil and grease from drilling rigs into the ocean. However, draining materials from a drilling rig deck are not controlled, with oil, grease and lubricants drained into the ocean, polluting the waters for marine life.
Leaks
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According to the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper, the effects of an oil leak from an offshore drilling rig, such as the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, affect the marine environment for a significant time after the leak. Marine life also absorbs chemicals pumped into the ocean to disperse leaked oil.
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