User:Maarutu

History
Research on the environmental impact of the petroleum industry began in earnest, during the mid to late 20th century, as the oil industry developed and expanded. Large scale transport of crude oil increased as a result of the increasing worldwide demand for oil, subsequently increasing the number of oil spills. Oil spills provided perfect opportunities for scientists to examine the in situ effects of crude oil exposure to marine ecosystems, and collaborative efforts between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Coast Guard resulted in improved response efforts and detailed research on oil pollution's effects. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, both resulted in increased scientific knowledge on the specific effects of oil pollution toxicity to marine fish.

Exxon Valdez oil spill
Focused research on oil pollution toxicity to fish began in earnest in 1989, after the Exxon Valdez tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska and spilled approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding water. At the time, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest in the history of the United States. There were many adverse ecological impacts of the spill including the loss of the loss of billions of Pacific herring and pink salmon eggs. Pacific herring were just beginning to spawn in late March when the spill occurred, resulting in nearly half of the population's eggs being exposed to crude oil. Pacific herring spawn in the intertidal and subtidal zones, making the vulnerable eggs easily exposed to pollution.

Deepwater Horizon oil spill
After April 20, 2010, when an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil drilling platform triggered the largest oil spill in US history, another opportunity for oil toxicity research was presented. Approximately 171 million gallons of crude oil flowed from the seafloor into the Gulf of Mexico, exposing the majority of the surrounding biota. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill also coincided directly with spawning window of various ecologically and commercially important fish species, including yellowfin and Atlantic bluefin tuna. The oil spill directly affected Atlantic bluefin tuna, as approximately 12% of larval tuna were located in oil-contaminated waters, and Gulf of Mexico is the only known spawning grounds for the western population of bluefin tuna.

Huntington Beach oil spill
On Saturday, October 2, 2021, there was a reported oil leak that was approximately 5 miles of Huntington Beach, California. The cause of the oil leak is still not fully determined, but researchers and investigators believe that an underwater oil pipe was hooked and dragged across the sea by a 1,200-foot cargo ship in severe waves.