Analyzing Ecological Systems: A Case Study of the Gulf Oil Spill

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Added on 2024/07/04

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This paper analyzes the ecological impact of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, examining the event's causes, consequences, and the role of the oil industry in future risk assessments. The paper explores the ecological risks posed by oil spills, the economic costs associated with the disaster, and the importance of interagency collaboration in mitigating future incidents. It highlights the need for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) as a tool for preventing similar disasters in the future.

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Running head: ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Analyzing Ecological Systems
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ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 2
Option 2: Gulf Oil Spill Case Study
Introduction: Main Events
The British Petroleum Oil Spill incident occurred in 2010 within the Mexican Gulf after
the explosion and collapse of an oil drilling rig. The incident started on 20th April 2010 hence
killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others (Bryant, 2011). After the accident, deployed
underwater cameras revealed that the explosion triggered a continuous leakage of crude oil.
Forensic analysis revealed that the oil spillage occurred because of the blowout preventer
malfunction. BP Company teamed up with U.S. governmental agencies in stopping the oil
spillage and cleaning the contaminated parts of the ocean. Notably, the team stopped the oil
spillage on 15th July 2010 by capping the oil well located about 5,000 feet below the ocean's
surface. Scientists estimated that more than 4.9 million barrels of oil leaked into the ocean hence
contaminating around 665 miles of the coastline (Nelson & Grubesic, 2018). The cleanup
operation of the contaminated part of the ocean involved strategies like physical barrier erection,
skimming, and mobbing techniques.
The Enforced Federal Regulation
The U.S. federal government is responsible for the regulation and leasing of areas for oil
drilling operations within a three nautical mile radius from its coastline. Notably, safety
regulation takes a central position in the offshore oil drilling operation in the United States. The
safety regulation revolves around the management of contractors and leaseholders involved in oil
exploration and drilling operations. The U.S. federal government, for example, holds contractors
and holders responsible for the management of technologies involved in oil production.
According to this safety regulation, the leaseholder (BP Company) and subcontractors

ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 3
(Halliburton and Transocean) were responsible for the oil spillage incident considering that they
failed to maintain the blowout preventer. However, investigators further stretched the liability for
the accident to the U.S. federal government (Birkland & DeYoung, 2011). Investigators arrived
at this decision based on the consideration that the U.S. enforces its safety regulation on offshore
drilling operations using its Minerals Management Service (MMS) regime.
Ecological Risk of the Contaminated Area
Oil spillage has a negative impact on the ecosystem and organisms. Oil harms organisms
through absorption, ingestion, inhalation, ingestion, and physical contact. The British Petroleum
Oil Spill incident, for example, led to the contamination of plankton hence creating food scarcity
for crustaceans within the Gulf of Mexico. The food scarcity and intoxication led to the death of
a large population of crustaceans, birds as turtles. Studies indicated that the oil spillage created a
problem for the ecosystem and organisms within the Mexican Gulf in the long run. Oil ingestion,
for example, leads to organ damage and suppression of the immune systems of birds, animals,
and fishes. Physical contact with oil creates additional problems for sea animals, including
ulceration and skin irritation. Contamination of the seawater threatened the survival of turtles,
fishes, dolphins, seagulls, eagles, skunks, and raccoons within the contaminated areas.
Economic Value of the Scenario
The British Petroleum Oil Spill was a costly accident for the U.S. government, BP
Company, and its subcontractors. Various state agencies and the BP Company, for example,
spent around $40 billion in the cleanup process of the contaminated areas in 2010 (Aldy, 2011).
BP Company further spent $8.91 billion in further cleanup programs to reinstate the
contaminated ecosystem to its original state within the same year (Aldy, 2011). The company

ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 4
also incurred approximately $3.8 billion in compensation packages for the affected employees
and businesses (Skogdalen & Vinnem, 2012). The compensation costs mentioned above also
includes $600 million paid to the fishing industry (Skogdalen & Vinnem, 2012). The damaged
reputation also reduced the magnitude of investment into the BP Company in terms of shares.
Ecological and Social Values
The British Petroleum Oil Spill incident depicted the dangers of oil spillage accidents.
The oil spillage accidents come at huge social and ecological costs. The oil spillage accident, in
this case, affected about 8,300 marine animal species, including mollusks, fish, sea turtles,
crustaceans, and marine mammals (Nelson & Grubesic, 2018). The accident also affected land
animals that rely on the ocean for food, including mammals and birds. The oil spillage also
affected the local people living along the shorelines of Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
and Florida. Notably, communities living in the coastlines of these states depend on the sea for
food and income. Contamination of the sea meant that fishers lost their source of income hence
exposing them to financial problems.
The Role of the Oil Industry in Future Risk Assessments
BP Company and U.S. governmental agencies also lost billions of dollars to the accident.
The oil industry, therefore, should adopt risk assessment programs, to prevent the recurrence of
such incidences in the future. Companies operating within this industry can use Probabilistic risk
assessment (PRA) to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident in the future. Notably, PRA is a
comprehensive strategy to assess risk associated with complex technological investments like oil
drilling projects (Nelson & Grubesic, 2018). PRA program captures design, maintenance, and
operation vulnerabilities to lower costs and enhance safety. PRA also determines the probability

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ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 5
of oil spillage accident occurrence correlating it with the observations made in field studies.
PRA, therefore, will enable companies in the oil industry to approach oil spill mitigation and
prevention from evidence-based practice. In this case, correlation is based on the fact that oil
spill accidents differ in terms of magnitude, nature of occurrence, and geographical location.
Conclusion
The British Petroleum Oil Spill depicted the significance of interagency collaboration in
mitigation and prevention of oil spill accidents. BP Company collaborated with U.S. wildlife
agencies in assessing the extent of contamination and cleaning the contaminated area of the sea.
In November 2010, for example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated that thousands of
turtles and birds died because of oil smear. BP Company also observed that 153 dolphins, 600
sea turtles, and 6,100 birds died because of the oil spillage incident (Bryant, 2011). However, the
incidence indicates a deficiency of tradeoffs between oil companies and wildlife in preventing
similar disasters in the future. Probabilistic risk assessment should occur as a collaborative
process between oil companies and wildlife. Oil companies, therefore, should collaborate with
wildlife agencies in protecting the ecosystem and organisms from oil spillage.

ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 6
References
Aldy, J. E. (2011). Real-time economic analysis and policy development during the BP Deep-
water Horizon oil spill. Vanderbilt Law Review, 64, 1793.
Birkland, T. A., & DeYoung, S. E. (2011). Emergency response, doctrinal confusion, and
Federalism in the Deep-water Horizon oil spill. Publius: The Journal of Federalism,
41(3), 471-493.
Bryant, B. (2011). Deep-water Horizon and the Gulf oil spill-the key questions answered. The
Guardian, 20.
Nelson, J. R., & Grubesic, T. H. (2018). Oil spill modeling: risk, spatial vulnerability, and impact
assessment. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 42(1), 112-127.
Skogdalen, J. E., & Vinnem, J. E. (2012). Quantitative risk analysis of oil and gas drilling, using
Deepwater Horizon as case study. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 100, 58-66.

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Analyzing Ecological Systems: A Case Study of the Gulf Oil Spill

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