User:Prathu.tibrewal

=Oil Spills= Oil spills are the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually applied to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. Oil spills may be due to releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their by-products, heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil.

Oil Spills may happen for several reasons.
 * 1)  When oil tankers have equipment faults. When oil tankers break down, it may get stuck on shallow land. When the tanker is attempted to move out of shallow land, abrasion may cause a hole in the tanker that will lead to large amounts of oil being released into the oceanic bodies. However, although this form of oil spill is the most commonly known and has the highest media attention, only 2% of oil in water bodies is a result of this action.
 * 2)  From nature and human activities on land. The large majority of oil spilled is from natural seeps geological seeps from the ocean floor as well as leaks that occur when products using petroleum or various forms of oil are used on land, and the oil is washed off into water bodies.
 * 3)  Water Sports. Other causes of oil spills are spills by petroleum users of released oil. This happens when various water sports or water vehicles such as motorboats and jet skis leak fuel.
 * 4)  Drilling works carried out in sea. When drilling works carried out in the sea, the oil and petroleum used for such activities are released into the sea, thus causing an oil spill.What are the effects of oil spills?Such oil spills are considered forms of pollution. Oil spills also have highly adverse effects on the environment. These oil spills greatly affect animals, which may in turn sometimes lead to animals getting endangered. Animals may be affected because oil spills may cause hypothermia, inducing low body temperatures. Oil may also enter the lungs or livers of animals, in turn poisoning the animals. Oil may also kill animals by blinding them, affecting their natural predator prey instincts, resulting in which they will be unaware of their predators, and will eventually be preyed on.Effects on fauna in the seaSeabirds are strongly affected by oil spills. When they get covered in oil, the heavy oil weights down the birds and is unable to fly. Often, the bird will then attempt to rid itself of the oil lining, and will eat the oil. As the oil is poisonous, the bird will either die or suffer greatly from being poisoned. All these lead to the bird’s inability to carry out its natural life processes such as hunting for food, and eventually, the bird will die, unless it is rescued and given proper treament. Furthermore, the oil penetrates and opens up the bird’s plumage, reducing its insulation activity and making it susceptible to hypothermia and temperature fluctuations, as well as less buoyant in the water.