PETROLEUM
Amoco Cadiz). Smaller spills have already proven to have a great impact on
ecosystems, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Oil spills at sea are generally much more damaging than those on land, since they can
spread for hundreds of nautical miles in a thin oil slick which can cover beaches with a
thin coating of oil. This can kill sea birds, mammals, shellfish and other organisms it
coats. Oil spills on land are more readily containable if a makeshift earth dam can be
rapidly bulldozed around the spill site before most of the oil escapes, and land animals
can avoid the oil more easily.
Control of oil spills is difficult, requires ad hoc methods, and often a large amount of
manpower. The dropping of bombs and incendiary devices from aircraft on the Torrey
Canyon wreck produced poor results; modern techniques would include pumping the oil
from the wreck, like in the Prestige oil spill or the Erika oil spill.
annaabi.ee 
