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Earth’s Changing EnvironmentLecture 9
Fossil Fuel Extraction: Environmental Impacts
Impacts of Oil Production
Oil Spills
1989, Exxon Valdez, Prince William Sound, AK
Spilled 0.25 million barrels. (1/10 of a day’s supply for US)
Quantities of Oil Spilt Globally
Shipname Year Location Spill (tonnes)
Atlantic Empress 1979 off Tobago, West Indies 287,000ABT Summer 1991 700 nautical. miles off Angola 260,000Castillo de Bellver 1983 off Saldanha Bay, South Africa 252,000Amoco Cadiz 1978 off Brittany, France 223,000Haven 1991 Genoa, Italy 144,000Odyssey 1988 700 nautical. miles off Nova Scotia, Canada 132,000Torrey Canyon 1967 Scilly Isles, UK 119,000Sea Star 1972 Gulf of Oman 115,000Irenes Serenade 1980 Navarino Bay, Greece 100,000Urquiola 1976 La Coruna, Spain 100,000Hawaiian Patriot 1977 300 nautical. miles off Honolulu 95,000Independenta 1979 Bosphorus, Turkey 95,000Jakob Maersk 1975 Oporto, Portugal 88,000Braer 1993 Shetland Islands, UK 85,000Khark 5 1989 120 nautical. miles off Atlantic coast of Morocco 80,000Prestige 2002 Off the Spanish coast 77,000Aegean Sea 1992 La Coruna, Spain 74,000Sea Empress 1996 Milford Haven, UK 72,000Katina P. 1992 off Maputo, Mozambique 72,000Exxon Valdez 1989 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 37,000
Incidence of Spills >700 Tonnes by Cause, 1974-2002, Global
US Off-shore Oil Development
10 % crude oil from offshore.
Effective ban off the coasts of California and Florida.
Gulf of Mexico is center of US offshore development.
Danger to tourism and wildlife.
Main Problem is Spills and Leaks
Leakage• Tankers• Pipelines• Wells• Storage
Construction impacts
Impacts of Coal Production
Strip Mining
60% of Coal mined by strip mining.
Removal of overburden.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires restoration
Acid mine drainage.
Land Transformation
Surface Mining operations can substantially alter landscape: removing mountain tops.
Subsidence
Problems include:• Soil erosion• Water pollution• Slow recovery• Subsidence• Water table disruption