GULF OF MEXICO/BP OIL SPILL: 2010 By: Peyton Holt

BASIC FACTSStarted on April 20, 2010Ended on July 15, 2010 (officially sealed on September 19, 2010) Cause: wellhead blowout

210,000,000 million gallons of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico11 people diedOil came out of the wellhead for 87 daysDestroyed estuaries and other habitats Also killed many animals Many fires were also started on the oil rigCould happen again because they are still drilling in the gulf and the transportation of oil

THE WORST ACCIDENTAL SPILL IN HISTORY

WHAT IT AFFECTEDBiotic: Many marine animalsHumans that lived in the areaPlants in the ocean and nearby

Abiotic: BeachesEverywhere surrounding the GulfThe oil companyThe economy of the Gulf

Common Resources: WaterFish

HUMAN ASPECTHumans are drilling in the environment so something was bound to go wrong. I would suggest to stop drilling in the ocean because this could easily happen again. The only rule I would add is to limit the oil companies to a lower amount of oil that can be drilled.

SOLUTIONS1) Injecting dispersants at the sea floor to break up the

oil.2) Closing the blowout preventer that for some unknown

reason failed.3) Deploying steel boxes atop the flows to contain oil and

redirect it through pipes to a ship on the sea surface.4) Installing new pressure control equipment at the well. 5) Drilling two relief wells

HOW THE COMPANY WAS AFFECTEDBP has spent about $42 billion fixing the spill and the places it has affectedThey still have not paid for everything that needs to be paid forPeople today are helping restore the habitats in the area back to the way they were before

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