Deepwater Oil Spill

Deepwater Oil Spill
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Deepwater Oil Spill
Introduction to Deepwater Ecosystem Characteristics
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Researchers working on the oil spill. (Source: noaa.gov, 2014).
The sea represents the largest habitat on the planet Earth since it covers an area representing almost 70 percent of the total Earth space. The temperatures of the deep sea vary from about 40C to 10C. The salinity of the seawater is relatively constant throughout. The salinity below 2000 meters is around 35 percent, decreasing to 34.65 percent at the very deepest points (marbef.org, 2010). The oxygen concentration is near saturation. When the seawater is further away from its entry point, oxygen concentration goes down, due to metabolic processes. The ecosystem of deep sea waters is characterized by organisms that have various adaptations in order to survive. Animals in the deep sea find it difficult to obtain food, as there is no plenty of plant growth. The organisms also have adaptations to utilize the little sunlight that penetrates these depths. The marine ecosystem forms part of the earth’s aquatic ecosystem (marbef.org, 2009). The organisms hosted by the deep-water ecosystem, like all other ecosystems on the earth, depend on each other for survival. There is a systematic food chain, which has to be kept so as to sustain the ecosystem. The organisms also depend on the water for food, oxygen and habitat.
Threat level
The 2010 deep-water horizon oil spill was one of the worst environmental disasters in recorded history. The large amount of oil spilled into the open sea posed an environmental disaster of monumental levels. Not only the spill, but also the cleanup process had enormous effects to the environment (McCoy, & Salermo, 2010). The spill affected the marine ecosystems, such as marine wetlands, shoreline and beaches, near shore benthos, photic zone and deep benthos. The sp...