How does offshore oil exploration pose a threat to marine life?

How does offshore oil exploration pose a threat to marine life?

Oil spill can lead sometime to the tainting of fish and shellfish. Oil spills affect not only the ocean space around them, but also shorelines, open waters and the seabed; wetlands; corals. They also damage fisheries and coastal amenities. Especially vulnerable for the potential damage is the area of shorelines.

Why is seismic testing for oil a concern for ocean scientists?

Seismic surveys produce the loudest human-made sounds in the ocean aside from explosions. An Australian study published in 2017 in the journal Nature found that seismic testing can destroy plankton populations.

What is the environmental impact of oil exploration?

Exploring and drilling for oil may disturb land and marine ecosystems. Seismic techniques used to explore for oil under the ocean floor may harm fish and marine mammals. Drilling an oil well on land often requires clearing an area of vegetation.

How does oil behave in water?

Because most kinds of oil are less dense than water, most spilled oil floats on the water surface. It spreads out and is pushed across the water by wind and currents. Birds that float on the water surface and dive to feed can be oiled if they happen to be in the same place as an oil slick.

How does seismic testing affect marine life?

The types of impacts marine mammals may endure include temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, beach strandings, and even death. Seismic airguns could devastate marine life, harming fisheries and coastal economies along the Atlantic coast.

What is the purpose of seismic testing?

Seismic testing involves firing soundwaves into the ocean floor to detect the presence of oil or gas reserves. Hundreds of sonic blasts measure the geology of the seabed in the hopes of finding oil or gas deposits.

Why is noise pollution in the ocean bad?

Studies show that exposure to loud noises can damage ears and cause hearing loss in cetaceans. It can also affect invertebrates — by impairing the development of scallop larvae, for example2. Dolphins change their tune: they whistle at a lower frequency, with less variation, if the ambient noise is loud6.

How does noise pollution affect animals in the ocean?

Noise means stress and impairs the animals’ immune system which makes them more susceptible to illness in general. Ocean noise pollution also causes marine animals to flee and abandon valuable habitats, either because of direct impact or because they have to follow their fleeing prey.

How does oil affect the ocean?

Oil spills are harmful to marine birds and mammals as well as fish and shellfish. Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water repellency of a bird’s feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements.

How does petroleum affect water?

Because most kinds of oil are less dense than water, most spilled oil floats on the water surface. It spreads out and is pushed across the water by wind and currents. Since birds preen themselves to clean their feathers, they can also ingest oil, causing illness or death.