The severity and ability to clean up an oil spill depends on the types of oils involved with the spill. Oil, when it is first extracted from the ground, is separated by density. The densities are classified as very light oils, light oils, medium oils, heavy oils, and very heavy oils. The complicated nature of these different hydrocarbon chains (various petroleum products) makes oil spills a multi-faceted issue. Very light oils, such as gasoline, are harmful to marine life but evaporate quickly and thus don’t need to be cleaned up. Light oils, such as diesel fuels, have fewer toxins than very light oils, but are difficult to clean up because they leave residues. Medium oils, such as crude oil, do not evaporate quickly and can devastate areas between high and low depths in the ocean. They are best cleaned immediately following a spill. Heavy oils are more separate from the water, they do not evaporate easily and they can be especially damaging to marine wildlife. Group V or very heavy oils are very hard to locate, as they can hover and diffuse into the water (x Dartmouth).
2 Oil Spills / 2014
Categories of Oils and Associated Severity
P. Hotchkiss-Needleman
Oil is degraded by the earth’s natural systems. Sunlight, tidal waves, water temperature and bacteria contribute to the breakdown of various oils. Because the earth is naturally equipped to clean itself, the mechanisms in place can help to eliminate the oil from certain spills after only a few weeks. These spills have short-term consequences.
The results become more complicated, detrimental, and difficult to clean up when oil contaminates shallow water. The resulting effects on the coastal regions are devastating. When the oil is found in the shallow water, it mixes with mud and other substances and accumulates at the bottom. The oil can last for years or even decades and cause extreme problems for the creatures living in the marine environment (x Dartmouth).