1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
One major oil spill that happened in The San Francisco Bay during 1937 occurred when 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled due to an oil tanker colliding with a tanker ship. Another major oil spill also happened in The San Francisco Bay in 1984 when 1.5 million gallons of oil spilled due to an explosion that damaged a tanker ship. The spill occurred right outside The Golden Gate Bridge.
2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
To clean up an oil spill there are four different methods. The first method is to leave the oil alone. That way the oil breaks down by natural processes. This method can only be used if the oil is not going to pollute coastal regions or marine industries. The second method is to collect the oil from the water surface using skimmer equipment. The third technique is to use dispersants to break up the oil. This speeds up the natural biodegradation process. The last method is to introduce biological agents. This can also speed up the biodegradation process.
3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
One long term environmental problem is when the remaining oil comes in physical contact, ingestion, inhalation or absorption with plankton. The plankton is then eating by larger organisms and the contamination can lead all the way to humans. Even if the contamination does not reach the human level the contamination of other organisms affects our lifestyle and eating habits. The second long term effect of a large scale oil spill is the effect on birds. It is proven that birds that have come in contact with the spills can often die from the effects. Ingestion can kill animals instantly but can also result in lung, liver, and kidney damage.
4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
One legislative fix for preventing oil spills includes a law against overuse of oil. The less oil used the less transported and the less likely the spills will occur. As well the emergency response plans which make it necessary for all ships to have a plan as to what they would do if a spill occurred is a very useful technique. A technological fix for preventing oil spills includes navigation. Congress has passed a similar law but the law should be stricter. If the US Coast Guards knew where all of the oil tankers were and could track them down if ever a spill were to occur the clean up would start ASAP.
5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We could reduce our dependency on oil by lowering our use of jet planes, and cars. As well we can come up with a better building technique because plastic and paint contain oil. We can make use of natural products for clothing because nylon and polyester are made from oil.

--Tiny Bopper

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez ship spilled 11 million gallons of oil, 20% of its cargo, in to Prince William’s Sound. The ship was headed to California, and hit the Bligh Reef, causing the spillage of oil. An oil spill occurred in the San Francisco Bay in 1937, when 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean after an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
In the case of the oil spill that happened in the San Francisco Bay are, skimming equipment was used to suck the oil from the bay area. Crews on the shore were also aided in the clean-up effort by scooping up excess oil that they found. Another way to clean up oil is to let it do so naturally. If no wild life is affected, then the oil in time will clean up itself. Another way is to use chemical agents to break down the oil, speeding up the process of the breakdown.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
Animals can be severely affected. In the case of the spill in the San Francisco Bay area, bunker fuel leaked into the bay. This type of fuel contains many contaminates, which are harmful to the ocean life. Also there is no telling when the oil spill can be cleaned up especially if a large amount of it was lost, therefore this poses another environmental problem. Not only are the animals that live in the ocean affected but also the birds as well. They can eat the fish that are already contaminated and become sick. They can also be covered in the sticky oil, hindering their mobility.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
In the Exxon Valdez spill, the coast guard and the crew were unsure of their position, therefore they crashed into a reef. Technologically, there should be a tracking device system used by the coast guard and the ships to alert them when they are approaching another boat or a naturally occurring obstruction such as an ice berg or a reef. A legislative solution would be to restrict the amount of oil that the tankers can carry. The Exxon Valdez ship was carrying 53 million gallons of oil when it crashed into the reef. If the ship had not been allowed to carry that much, then maybe it wouldn’t have caused so much to leak into the atmosphere.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We can dispose of oil properly, not just dumping it or letting it run off in to lakes an streams, or down sewers. For example, used motor oil can be collected and dropped of at places such as Jiffy Lube, or Pep boys. Recycling this oil can assure that the oil will not contaminate anything else.

--Starfruit117

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez ship spilled 11 million gallons of oil, 20% of its cargo, in to Prince William’s Sound. The ship was headed to California, and hit the Bligh Reef, causing the spillage of oil. An oil spill occurred in the San Francisco Bay in 1937, when 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean after an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
In the case of the oil spill that happened in the San Francisco Bay are, skimming equipment was used to suck the oil from the bay area. Crews on the shore were also aided in the clean-up effort by scooping up excess oil that they found. Another way to clean up oil is to let it do so naturally. If no wild life is affected, then the oil in time will clean up itself. Another way is to use chemical agents to break down the oil, speeding up the process of the breakdown.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
Animals can be severely affected. In the case of the spill in the San Francisco Bay area, bunker fuel leaked into the bay. This type of fuel contains many contaminates, which are harmful to the ocean life. Also there is no telling when the oil spill can be cleaned up especially if a large amount of it was lost, therefore this poses another environmental problem. Not only are the animals that live in the ocean affected but also the birds as well. They can eat the fish that are already contaminated and become sick. They can also be covered in the sticky oil, hindering their mobility.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
In the Exxon Valdez spill, the coast guard and the crew were unsure of their position, therefore they crashed into a reef. Technologically, there should be a tracking device system used by the coast guard and the ships to alert them when they are approaching another boat or a naturally occurring obstruction such as an ice berg or a reef. A legislative solution would be to restrict the amount of oil that the tankers can carry. The Exxon Valdez ship was carrying 53 million gallons of oil when it crashed into the reef. If the ship had not been allowed to carry that much, then maybe it wouldn’t have caused so much to leak into the atmosphere.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We can dispose of oil properly, not just dumping it or letting it run off in to lakes an streams, or down sewers. For example, used motor oil can be collected and dropped of at places such as Jiffy Lube, or Pep boys. Recycling this oil can assure that the oil will not contaminate anything else.

--Starfruit117

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
Two large oil spills that have happened in the world are the San Francisco Bay spills in 1937 and 1984. In 1937 2.7 million gallons spilled when an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship. In 1984 1.5 million gallons spilled just outside the Golden Gate Bridge when an explosion damaged a tanker ship.
2. How is an oil spill cleaned up?
There are four commonly used methods for cleaning up an oil spill. The first way is to leave the oil where it is and allow natural processes to break it down. This method cannot be used if the oil is going to pollute coastal regions or marine industries. The second way to clean an oil spill is to use dispersants to break up the oil which speeds up the biodegradation process. The third way is to collect the oil from the water surface using skimmer equipment. The fourth way is to introduce biological agents into the oil spill which can also speed up the biodegradation process.
3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
One long-term environmental problem associated with a large-scale oil spill is they way it affects the organisms living in the ecosystem where the oil spilled. Oil contains contaminates that are harmful to living organisms; any sort of contact with the oil can cause severe problems for the life there. Also, the animals that ingest the oil are eaten by other organisms and the oil can eventually be passed on to humans. Many animals will die from oil ingestion. Another long-term environmental problem associated with large-scale oil spills is the effect on birds. If birds ingest the oil they can die. Also, the oil can cause lung, liver, and kidney damage. This brings the effects of the oil spill on land and not just in the water.
4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is to restrict the amount of oil the tankers can carry. This would lessen the effects if the oil were to spill. Also, a law against overuse of oil would lessen the probability of an oil spill occurring. One technological fix for preventing oil spills is a new navigation system. Many oil spills occur because tankers hit other tankers or a reef and cause the oil to spill. A new navigation system would let the tankers know if they were approaching another tanker or a coral reef.
5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We could reduce our dependency on oil by reducing our use of jet planes and cars which use mass amounts of oil daily. Also, we can recycle our oil instead of letting it run off into other ecosystems. We can also find other ways to run our cars instead of using oil which would really lower our dependency on oil and we can find other ways to make common things we use daily, such as clothes, plastics, paints that contain oil.

--Bluedog16

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
Many large oil spills have occurred throughout the world. Many of these oil spills have happened in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1937 and 1984 millions of gallons of oil spilled in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1937 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled in the San Francisco Bay Area when a large oil tanker collided with a passenger ship. In 1984 1.5 million gallons of oil spilled just outside the Golden Gate Bridge. An explosion damaged a tanker ship and caused the oil to spill.
2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
It is very difficult and dangerous to clean up an oil spill. Oil that is denser that water is difficult to clean up because the oil sinks to the bottom. Some of the equipment used to clean oil spills is an absorbent boom, containment boom, skimmers, and snares. Some of the methods used to clean oil spills include bioremediation, which is the process of using biological agents to remove the oil. Burning is also used, but only when it is not windy, the oil has not been dispersed and the sea is calm. Dispersants are also used. They act as detergents, but while it makes the water look much better is only moves the oil around. Often, the approach of Do Nothing is used. Occasionally it is better to do absolutely nothing and to let the oil evaporate on its own rather than doing something wrong and making the oil spill worse. Dredging is also used. This method can only be used on oils denser than water. Skimming and Solidifying is also used occasionally.
3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
Many environmental problems result from large- scale oil spills. Oil spills effect marine mammals. Sea otters and seals coats of natural insulation are reduced. This leads to body temperature fluctuations and hypothermia. Seabirds are greatly affected by oil spills because when they feed at the top of the water they ingest the oil. This causes them to have kidney failure, affect liver function, and have digestive tract irritation. The same effects happen to seabirds and seals when they ingest the oil. One oil spill that occurred on a beach caused 6 birds to die and 40 other seabirds to be affected.
4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
Many legislative fixes have been made to prevent oil spills in the future. One law is the Emergency Response Plans. This law states that owners of tanker must have a detailed plan on what they will do if a spill occurs. Their plan must be written before a spill occurs. Another good law that has been made to prevent oil spills in the future is the Liability Law. This law says that the owner of the boat that spills the oil has to pay 1,200 dollars for every ton of oil they spill. There are also many technological fixes that have been made to prevent oil spills in the future. One technological fix is navigation. Coast Guards are required to track every oil tanker that travels on the water.
5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
It would be very difficult to reduce our dependency on oil; however, it is definitely possible. Finding an alternative to gasoline in cars would make a huge difference. However, even without finding an alternative to gasoline we could reduce our dependency on oil. By carpooling, or taking buses less oil would need to be used. Also, if more people bought hybrid or electric cars the world’s dependency on oil would decrease immensely.
--Pisces

1. A large oil spill occurred in 1984, when 1.5 million gallons spilled just outside the Golden Gate Bridge when an explosion damaged a tanker ship. Another large oil spill happened in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1984. This was the largest spill that hit U.S. history. The oil slick spread over 3,000 square miles and onto over 350 miles of beaches in Prince William Sound.

2. Oil Spills can be cleaned up in four different ways. By booms, which are floating barriers placed around the oil or around whatever is leaking the oil. Booms contain the oil so skimmers can collect it. Another way is with skimmers which skim spilled oil from the water's surface after booms have corralled it. The skimmer collects oil into a container so it can be removed. The third method in cleaning up oil spills are chemical dispersants. These are materials that break down the oil into its chemical constituents. This helps disperse the oil and make it less harmful to wildlife and shorelines. The final method is in-situ burning. This is wherefreshly spilled oil is ignited while it's still floating on the water.

3. Oil spills have major effects on the environment and can cause problems not only for animals but for humans as well. Thousands of animals died immediatley after the Exxon oil spill. Oil spills can have long term effects on the environment. 4 years after the Exxon oil spill, people and animals were still trying to cope with the horrible accident. Fish death rates increased and many fisherman lost their jobs. Also, the oil destroyed the shorelines and its habitat may take up to 30 years to recover. Fish, otters and birds were effected and are still effected by oil spills that have occured. Fish die off, meaning that birds and otters will have nothing to feed off of and will eventually die off too.

4. A technological way future oil spills could be prevented is by upgrading the tankers themselves. Old tankers contain one layer of metal separating the cargo from the ocean. New tankers should have double layers offering greater protection against spills. A legislative fix would be proposing a less amount of oil carried by tankers. This way, if oil were to spill, it wouldnt be as great as an effect because there will be less oil in the waters. An example is with the Exxon spill. They were carrying many more gallons of oil then they were supposed too and the spill had great effects on the town in Alaska.

5. There are things we can do at home, in our cars and at work to reduce our dependence on oil. Little things such as walking to your friends house or to the grocery store instead of driving could help reduce the use of oil. Also, we could find other ways to run our cars instead of using oil. We should reduce the need to drive and enhance our quality of life.

-Rilo Kiley

1. Through out the world and through the past several decades, oil spills have occurred. One of these oil spills occurred in the San Fransisco Bay area. In 1937 and 1984, millions of gallons of oil was spilled into this area. In 1937 an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship, accidentally releasing 2.7 million gallons of oil. In 1984 an explosion of an oil tanker around the golden gate bridge caused for 1.5 million gallons of oil to be released.
2. The oil clean up process is long, dangerous and difficult. Oil that is denser than water is the most difficult because it sinks to the bottom. Tools such as the absorbent boom, containment boom, skimmers, and snares are used for the clean up process. There are various approaches that can be taken to clean up this type of mess. The first one is to allow the oil to stay in the environment and let natural process break it down. This measure can only be taken if it is not going to pollute coastal regions and marine industries. The second approach is to use dispersants, which are detergetns that speed up the biodegredation process. The third approach is to use the proper equipment to collect the oil at the surface of the water. The fourth approach is to introduce biological agents which will as well speed up the biodegredation process. Another approach would be to burn the oil, this process can only be used when weather conditions are not windy, the sea is calm and oil has not been dispersed.
3. Various environmental problems occur due to large scale oil spills. Oil spills affect marine animals by destroying their habitats and forcing them to consume the toxic wastes. Sea Otters and Seals have their natural insulation reduced, leading to potential hypothermia. Sea birds are aswell affected because when they feed off of the surface of the water, they consume oil. As a result, they receive kidney failure, poor liver function, and digestive irritation.
4. There have been legislative and technological fixes to try to prevent future oil spills. One legislative fix that was implaced is a restriction of the amount an oil tanker can carry. This helps by, if ever another oil spill, to lesson the detrimental affects by lessoning the amount of oil dumped into the water. One technological fix is a new navigation system. This would allow for ship crews to locate coral reefs and other ships in order to prevent collisions.
5. We could reduce our dependency on oil by switching to other energies such as ethanol. People can start buying cars that run on ethanol, and areas such as Florida that don’t sell ethanol can start. They can make the price of ethanol cheap, so the common person can afford these prices vereses the highly inflated prices of oil.

--GoldenGopher

1. Many oil spills happen around the world. One major oil spill that happened in the San Francisco Bay was in 1937. In this oil spill, 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled from the collision of a oil tanker and a passenger ship. Another major oil spill in the San Francisco Bay occurred in 1984. When an explosion damaged a tanker ship outside of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1.5 million gallons of oil were spilled.
2. There are four ways to clean up oil spills. The first method is to leave the oil alone and allow natural processes to break the oil down over time. However, there are limitations to this method. It can only be used when it does not endanger coastal areas. The second method is to use booms and skimmers to collect the oil. Booms and skimmers work when the oil is on the surface of the water and has not yet settled down into the deep ocean floor. Booms can sit on the surface of the water or some have a skirt that can hang down a meter below the surface to collect fallen oil. Skimmers float on the water and collect the oil that the booms have contained. The third method is to use dispersants and speed up biodegradation. Dispersants help break up the oil and stop the oil and water from mixing, which allows for droplets of oil to be made which are diluted by moving water. The fourth method is to introduce biological agents to the spill site. This speeds up biodegradation, the breaking down of oil by bacteria and microorganisms.
3. Two long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill are on the organisms that live in the ocean where the oil spill occurred and on birds. The animals in the ocean can be affected instantly, after ingestion of the oil, and by the oil destroying their habitats. Many furry animals in the ocean, such as sea otters, are affected by the oil spills. These mammals lose the ability of their fur for insulation. Birds are affected by the oil spills by eating the other organisms that ingested the oil. They also ingest the oil when they use the water to clean their feathers. Finally, the function of feathers to protect them from the harsh elements is stripped from birds. Their feather's water-repelling aspect is taken away.
4. One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is to reduce the amount of oil allowed to be carried on a ship and thoroughly check and update all ships to ensure the greatest amount of stability to prevent any oil spills. The emergency response plans provide preparedness aids for response communities in case of an oil spill. This way, if an oil spill were to occur, the people would know how to handle the situation. A technological fix for preventing oil spills is navigation. New navigation techniques allow the ships to see what is under them, such as reefs. Also, if an oil spill were to happen, the Coast Guard will be able to find the spill because Congress passed a law stating all oil tankers must be tracked by the Coast Guard.
5. We can reduce our dependency on oil by reducing the amount of oil we put into our cars. If we drive less, we will be using less oil. We can do this by using public transportation, carpooling, or walking. We can also reduce our use of plastic and products such as soaps that may contain oil.
--beluga

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world. In 1996, near Pier 70, 40,000 gallons of oil spilled from a military tanker into San Francisco Bay. Again in 1937, 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled into the San Francisco Bay when a taker collided with a passenger ship.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up? In order to clean up these oil spills, companies are hired to come into the area and use tools such as booms and containment methods to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the water. These companies can use biodegradable accelerants that allow the natural process that breaks down oil to move faster. If the oil spill interferes with industry or other marine sanctuaries, they will need to use absorbent and suction booms that will help reduce the amount of oil in the water.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill? When a large scale oil spill occurs, plankton absorb the harmful substances in the oil and in turn give these harmful substances to larger organisms that eat plankton. Also, when humans eat sea animals that may have come into contact with the oil, these harmful substances can manifest themselves and eventually harm a human's health.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future. Recently, United States legislation has created new policies that restrict the amount of oil that one tanker can carry over the ocean. This legislation will prevent tragedies such as the 2.7 million gallons that were spilled in SF Bay in 1937. Technologically, tankers that carry oil are now being manufactured with fortified hulls which will decrease the chances of spillage if the ship was grounded or if a wreck occurred.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil. New technology in cars such as the Chevrolet Volt, allow the driver to get 40 miles on electricity before even switching to the E85 Ethanol gas. Theoretically, the driver would never have to buy gas again. All that would be necessary is the plug the car into a house.
--Doc

1. The two most recent oil spills that I found at the San Francisco Bay were in 2007 and in 2004. In 2007, around 58,000 gallons of oil spilled into San Francisco Bay after a ship hit a tower supporting the Bay Bridge. In 2004, over 120,000 gallons of oil had spilled from a pipeline explosion.

2. Oil spills can be cleaned up in several different ways. One way is by using booms and skimmers. Booms are placed around the area where is oil spill occurred, and the skimmers are used to skim spilled oil from the water’s surface. Another way is to simply let the oil sit and have the natural elements in the water clean it over time. Also, the news report stated that after the most recent oil spill, workers were on the shoreline literally “scooping” up the remaining oil.

3. Oil spills can cause many problems from contaminating the water to killing birds and other animals. Birds are greatly affected because the oil gets on their feathers. When they try to clean themselves, they lick the oil and poison their liver. Oil can also kill animals by simply blinding them. These animals will not be able to see their predators and eventually be eaten by them. These two problems may be long-term if the oil spill is not cleaned quickly and many of the same species die, making that species more extinct.

4. Legislative and technological advances need to be made to reduce the impact of oil spills. A legislative fix could be to make sure that each cargo ship takes less oil when going out to sea. Also, a technological fix could be the navigation systems. They should be more advanced so that the people steering the ships know exactly where they are going and any boundaries in the way to avoid any crashes or collisions.

5. We all can and should reduce our use of gas and oil. For transportation purposes, we should learn to carpool or take public transportation whenever possible. Also, while most of us do need cars, Hybrids are becoming more popular and should be used by more people to eliminate the use of gas all together.

--ben folds

1. Identify and briefly discuss two large oil spills that have happened in the world.
In 1937, an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay spread 2.7 million gallons of oil throughout the bay after an oil-tanker crashed into a neighboring ship. In 1989, an Exxon Valdez oil-tanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil and 20% of the cargo it was carrying into the Prince William Sound after colliding with the Bligh Reed near California.

2. How is an oil spill cleaned up?
An oil spill is cleaned up by the use of water-surface-skimming equipment. These instruments suck the oil off the top of the polluted water, removing it from the area in which it resides. Man-power is also extremely helpful in the aftermath of an oil-spill; crews position themselves on the shores of the polluted areas, removing oil found and applying cleaning agents used to breakdown oil particles into the water. These crews also manually clean the animals affected by the spill.

3. Discuss two long term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill.
Oil spills affect the environment surrounding it in many ways; however, there are two ways in which the effects of oil spills are most noticed. The animals of an oil-spill-affected area are usually hurt by the oil in some way, whether they are simply injured or ultimately die. Birds, in particular, are affected by oil spills tremendously; their wings get covered in the thick oils, hindering their ability to fly or even breathe. In addition to animals, humans are affected by oil spills as well; only indirectly in most cases. The animals caught in the oil often ingest the harmful pollution into their bodies, are then caught, killed, and unknowingly sold to markets, where humans purchase their meat, and later consume it, oil and all. Ingesting oil is not a good idea for any animal, especially not humans, and usually results in sickness or possibly death.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
The prevention of oil spills is often brought up in legislative terms, the “Emergency Response Plans” being a key example. The law states that the owner of an oil-tanker must show a detailed plan of what happens in the case of an oil spill, and must be written before the potential oil spill occurs. Technologically, oil spills are prevented through the Coast Guard’s use of tracking devices, showing the exact location and status of every oil-tanker.

5. In light of the ideas of “reduce, reuse, recycle, and renew,” discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
To reduce dependency on oil, people could possibly use more man-power, rather than use oil-based machines. For example, if more people began walking or riding public transportation rather than driving their own cars, oil dependency would dramatically decrease. Because of today’s society, this idea is not completely plausible; however, people switching from oil-based vehicles to alternative means of transportation is definitely in our future.
--Captain Planet

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
Two large oil spills that have happened in the world are in 1937 and in 1971. In 1937, a tanker collided with a passenger ship causing 2.7 million gallons of oil to spill. In 1971, two Standard Oil tankers collided causing 840,000 gallons of oil to spill.
2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
An oil spill is cleaned up in numerous ways. One way of cleaning up an oil spill is to allow natural processes to break down the dense oil in the ocean. Skimmer equipment is another method to clean up oil spills the skimmer equipment collects the oil from the water surface. Another method is to break up the oil by using dispersants or biological agents that expedite natural biodegradation processes.
3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
Long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill are the harmful effects it has on the animal populations. Bird populations are greatly affected by oil spills. The oil can get on to their bodies and wings hindering hem from a normal life. Birds have also died from the oil spills. Fish that swim in the oil-contaminated areas could ingest the oil which indirectly affects us because we could eat the fish that are contaminated. If humans are swimming in areas of the beach where they can smell the oil, they are considered to be dangerously close to the oil spill.
4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is by limiting the amount of oil that can be transported in each tanker. Therefore, if another oil tanker were to explode that would result in a spill, the spill clean up could be more manageable. This would prevent, for example, 1.5 million gallons of oil from spilling into the ocean. A technological fix for preventing oil spills is installing a kind of GPS system that informs the ships of obstructions in their pathways. For example, if the crew on board knew that a reef was in their way, the Exxon Valdez could have been avoided.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We could reduce our dependency on oil by resorting to solar, wind, or electric power. Our dependency on oil would be significantly reduced if we either drove hybrid cars, or just reduced the dependency on cars by increasing means of public transportation, especially in Florida. Also, if factories used solar power to supply their machines with the energy needed to manufacture goods, we could reduce not only our dependency on oil but also pollution.
--steve123

1. The Exxon Valdez was the largest oil spill in the United States. In 1984 the ship hit a reef and spilt 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound. Another large oil spill occurred in the San Francisco Bay. In 1937 an oil tanker spilt almost 3 million gallons of oil into the bay when the tanker collided with another ship.

2. In order to clean up an oil spill certain methods are used. One method is to use skimmers to brush the tops of the water and collect the oil that floats to the surface. The next method has to do with the breaking down of the oil. This could be done in three ways. The first is to leave the oil alone to be broken down by itself. The second way is with the use of dispersants which break up the oil, this speeds up the process. The third and final form is the addition of biological agents into the water which also helps speed up and break down the oil.

3. Two long term environmental problems that result from long term oil spills are one, the effect of oil on marine life. Oil is harmful to all aspects of marine life. The oil effects the animals bodies as well as their habitat and the food they eat. The food the animals eat are contaminated by the oil and when ingested has detrimental affects on the consumer. Second, the bids are also greatly affected by the oil, the oil resides in the wings and feathers of birds. This makes it extremely hard to move or fly. Making hard to catch food and if the bird is able to catch food it is often contaminated by the oil and in turn affects the birds.

4. The legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is the restriction of the amount of oil a tanker is allowed to travel with. This minimizes excessive amounts of oil that can possibly spilt into the water. The technological fix is the new navigation systems that allow for better guidance of the ships past obstacles as well as the ability of the coast guard to watch the tankers and their movements.

5. In order to minimize our dependency on oil we can find alternate form of energy. Hybrid cars and carpooling are some ways we can help with gas consumption. Other forms of energy that could possibly help to minimize our need for oil are hydro, thermal, and solar energy.
--$

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world. Recently there was an oil spill of gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay. Approximately, 58,000 gallons of oil spilled into the bay after a large gash was ripped into the hull of the Cosco Busan, a ship. The oil could harm many animals and plant- life because the oil contains bunker fuel. Bunker fuel is the residue from oil refining and contains many contaminants. Another oil spill that happened in 2004 occurred in the Suisun Marsh from the Kinder Morgan pipeline. There was more than 120,000 gallons that spilled.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up? Since oil spreads across the water, worker use floating barriers called floating booms in the water to help stop the oil from spreading. The oil on the top of the water can be sucked up by a special vacuum, however the oil that sinks is more difficult to break down. Then workers place a special chemical into the water to help break down the oil . This process may take several months. Also some workers may burn down the oil. Finally the best method for cleaning oil off the shore is to spray the oil off the rocks and then pick it up.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill? Many species are affected from oil spills causing long-term environmental problems. For example, for the oil spill in San Francisco the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia has received 40 seabirds affected by the oil. Six birds have died. Students from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's Wildlife Health Center are helping to take care of the wildlife. Many birds could be injured and die from this catastrophe by ingesting bunker fuel, which contains contaminants. Another long-term environmental problem would be the affect it would have on animals. Many animals can die as well. Such as sea otters, seals, and other marine life. Reductions in population causes a troubled ecosystem and the biodiversity level decreases.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future. One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is the emergency response plan. This allows boaters to prepare themselves in case of emergency. People will have periodic drills to prepare themselves. Technologically, people will start to use GPS systems to help locate where the oil spills are, helping the spill be cleaned up faster. The coast guard will fix the situation before it becomes too serious.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil. We could reduce our dependency on oil if there were some sort of substitute. One example would be the idea of E85, which comes from corn. Also people could start to buy more hybrid cars, which do not rely so much on oil. People could also start carpooling to work because it would require less gas.


--hibleaker

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
A: One large oil spill that happened in the world was in 1937 in the San Francisco Bay. 2.7 million gallons spilled when an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship. Another large oil spill was the Exxon Valdez. This occurred on March 24, 1989 and is considered one of the most devastating environmental disasters. The accident resulted in the discharge of approximately 11 million gallons of oil.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
A: There are key methods for cleaning up oil spills. Booms which are floating barriers placed around the oil. Booms contain the oil so skimmers could collect it. Skimmers are vacuum machines which collects oil into a container so it can be removed. Chemical dispersants which are materials that break down the oil into its chemical constituents. This helps disperse the oil and makes it less harmful to wildlife and shorelines.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
A: There are two long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill. The spills raises environmental concerns. The Coast Guard says the petroleum was bunker fuel. Bunker fuel is the residue from oil refining and contains many contaminants. Thousands of animals die immediately from large-scale oil spills. There are long-term reductions in population seen in various ocean animals. Birds are also being effected from large-scale oil spills. Ingestion can kill animals instantly and can also result in lung, liver, and kidney damage.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
A: One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is to put regulations on the amount of oil that tankers can transport. If there was an oil spill it would not be a total environmental disaster. A technological fix that could help out is a navigation system. Coast Guards can tract tankers incase of oil spills. Also tankers will know if they are approaching a reef, iceberg, or another vessel.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, recycle, and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
A: I believe that it would be extremely hard to reduce our dependency on oil because it is a major part of our transportation lifestyle. To reduce our use of oil we would need to switch from gasoline in our cars to another substance.
--snoopy

1. One oil spill that occurred was the spill into the San Francisco Bay. Thousands of oil spilled from a container ship that bumped a tower supporting the Bay Bridge. The results were that that was so structural damage but exactly 58,000 gallons of oil spilled into the bay. Another oil spill that occurred was just outside the Golden Gate Bridge when an explosion damaged a tanker ship. Exactly 1.5 million gallons spilled.
2. One method used to clean up oil spills is the use of skimmer equipment. This method collects the oil which floats to the surface. Another method is the breakdown of the oil. This is done by either letting the oil break down naturally, breaking up the oil using dispersants, or by adding biological agents to the water which speeds up the process of breaking down the oil.
3. One long term environmental problem that results from a large scale oil spill is the harm on birds. With the San Fransisco Bay spill, 40 seabirds were affected by the oil, 6 died. The fuel from the soil is extremely harmful to the air such as bunker fuel which contains many contaminants. Another environmental problems is its affect on the animals. The oil gets on the animals bodies and seeps into their skin which pollutes their bodies. The animals sometimes die or are blinded if the oil spill is not cleaned up quickly.
4. One legislative fix for preventing spills in the future is to limit the amount of oil that people can buy and that tankers can carry on their ships.The Exxon Valdez ship was carrying 53 million gallons of oil when it crashed into the reef. The ship shouldn't have been carrying that amount of oil. One technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future would be navigation. This would allow the ships to see whats under and around them to prevent crashing and if a spill were to occur the spill would be found instantly by the Coast Guard and the navigation would show where the spill starts and ends so all of it is cleaned up.
5. We could reduce our dependency on oil by the use of hybrid cars which is already being put to use. Although its not very common yet, people will be able to drive without the use of gas which will ultimately clean up the atmosphere. Also the use of public transportation instead of every person driving their own car would help air pollution and would decrease our needs for gas.
-- Pink

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.

The two largest oil spills that have happened in or around the San Francisco Bay Area occurred in 1937 and 1985. In 1937, 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled when an oil tanker collided with a passenger ship. In 1985, 1.5 million gallons spilled just outside the Golden Gate Bridge when an explosion damages a tanker ship.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?

There are a few methods used in order to clean up an oil spill. The four major ones are booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants, and in-situ burning. Booms are floating barriers placed around the oil or around whatever is leaking the oil. Booms contain the oil so skimmers can collect it. Skimmers are boats, vacuum machines, and oil-absorbent plastic ropes that skim spilled oil from the water's surface after booms have corralled it. The skimmer collects oil into a container so it can be removed. Chemical dispersants are materials that break down the oil into its chemical constituents. This helps disperse the oil and make it less harmful to wildlife and shorelines. In-situ burning is igniting freshly spilled oil while it's still floating on the water.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?

One long-term environmental problem that results from a large-scale oil spill is the destruction of a specific habitat and long length of time needed to restore that habitat. For example, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was so damaging that it may take the some shoreline habitats over 30 years to recover. Another long-term environmental problems resulting from large-scale oil spills is higher mortality. Due to the constant exposure to the oil, many species mortality rates have increased dramatically.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.

One legislative fix for preventing oil spills in the future is to create a law requiring more training for officials operating ships or other transporters of oil. This would prevent most accidents that occur from bad drivers of ships. One technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future is to require a double hull in every ship that is transporting oil. A double hull means that if the ship hits something, instead of breaking the hull, there would be more space between the oil and the water decreasing the pollution of the water.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle, and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.

There are a number of ways in which we could reduce our dependency on oil. One way is to create only electric cars. This would reduce overall oil consumption so dramatically that oil dependence would probably no longer even be an issue. Another way is to raise gasoline prices which would prevent many people from buying oil in the first place because they simply would not be able to afford it.

--viv321

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
In 1991, the largest oil spill in history occurred when Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait dumped an estimated 100 million gallons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf. This oil spill is twice the size of the second largest oil spill in history which occur in Mexico in the 1970’s. The Ixtoc 1 disaster occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 when a Mexican company’s oil exploration when wrong and the well suffered a “blow-out” which resulted in 20 thousand barrels to be spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
To clean up an oil spill, a various amount of techniques can be used. These techniques include: using skimmer machines which physically remove the oil, the use of detergents to break the oil apart, and the use of “booms.”

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
In the event of an oil spill, the effects are often long term. Oil can never be removed completely and as a result the organisms in the area will suffer. One example of an impact from an oil spill can be biological magnification of the oil pollutant. While smaller organisms ingest the oil, the amount of concentration of the pollutant goes up through the food chain, thus impacting many organisms. Secondly, an oil spill can devastate a specific part of a food chain which can disrupt a habitat in the long run.
4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
Following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the US Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to prevent ships which had undergone oil spills before and could hold over 1 million gallons of crude to be banned from use. The act also required all ships to have safety systems to prevent oil spills. One technological fix for oil spills would be the creation of double hull ships, which have more steal to separate the oil in the ships tanks from the ocean.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
One of the most effective ways to reduce our dependency on oil would be to use alternative fuels. Fuels like ethanol and hydrogen can greatly reduce our dependency on oil and would be better for our environment. For example, ethanol produces fewer greenhouse emissions than oil based gasoline and hydrogen only produces water as its emission.

--Green12

1) A major oil spill occurred in 1984 at the San Francisco Bay. The spill dumped over 1.5 million gallons of oil into the bay and devastated the ecosystem around the Golden Gate Bridge. Another oil spill occurred in the same bay 47 years earlier in 1937, spilling 2.7 gallons of oil.

2) Oil spills can be cleaned chemically by using chemicals that speed up the biodegrading process. In addition to this, cleaning crews “skim” the surface of the water, collecting oil that is less dense that floats to the surface. Another, relatively dangerous cleaning process is by burning surface oil; however, this is simply turned into CO2 which pollutes a different ecosystem entirely.

3) Oil spills can severely affect the wild life in the surrounding area. Sea birds and otters rely on their clean coats for insulation, however, the oil that could potentially cover their bodies prevents this. In addition, much of the food that these animals consumed becomes contaminated, drastically lowering the population of those organisms and the ones that depended on them.

4) One legislative movement to limit and prevent oil spills is by limiting the amount of oil a tanker can carry; thus, in the case an oil spill does occur, its affects would be minimized. In addition, fines have been enacted for the owner of a tanker so that he or she would go to further extents to prevent the spill. A technological fix is an improved navigation system that allows ships to detect potentially dangerous objects beforehand.

5) One obvious way to reduce our dependency on oil is to find a new, as efficient form of energy that oil currently provides. Another way would be to increase the use of public transportation, essentially allowing for less automobile use.

--Pie

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
In 1937, 2.7 million gallons of oil spilled from the collision of an oil tanker and a passenger ship in San Francisco bay. Another major oil spill in the San Francisco Bay occurred in 1984, when an explosion damaged a tanker ship outside of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1.5 million gallons of oil were spilled.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
An oil spill is cleaned up by using skimming equipment to suck the oil, and having Crews on the shore scooping up excess oil. Also, natural processes can break it down.
3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
The oil spills contain containment which can kill species such as the birds that died in the San Francisco oil spill. Their bodies become covered in oil and therefore cannot fly. Also humans who buy fishes from the market could be buying fishes that have been contaminated by the oil. This can result in sickness or death.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future. One legislative fix in the future is limiting the amount of oil transported. Therefore if anything were to happen the less amount of oil spilled would lead to less of an impact on the environment. One technological fix in the future is a navigation system, similar to the ones found in the airport, which could monitor the position of oil transporters and avoid any collisions.


5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
We could reduce our dependency of oil by finding an alternative resource, such as solar energy, which would reduce the amount of oil used in society. Also, using public buses and carpooling would reduce the amount of oil used.
-hershey

1. I like Captain Planet's response to this question. This student is one of the only people who mentioned the Exxon-Valdez spill and some of the spills involving baby oil.
2. Everybody for the most part answered this question well; including the use of booms, skimming equipment, and the mention of natural processes.
3. Pie had a good response mentioning the effects on birds who may dive into the ocean and get coated in oil. Also, many students mentioned that the oil had mal-effects on humans after eating fish or other animals exposed to the oil.
4. Most students mentioned that the US government has limited the amount of oil that can be carried in a tanker at one time. Also, on the technology forefront, many students mentioned the double-thick hulls of tankers.
5. Every student mentioned the use of hybrid cars in solving the dependence on oil. Also, many students mentioned the switch to E85 ethanol and biodiesel.
--Doc

1. It seems for this question, most people just looked at the chart on one of the websites and chose 2 different oil spills which is acceptable. However, it is better if you elaborated on what the oil spill was caused by.
2. There were many correct answers to this question. I prefer the answers that not only included the skimmer but also included hte natural processes.
3. Looks like everyone got this one right. In my opinion, Tiny Bopper's answer was one of the really thorough ones.
4. There were varying legislative and technological fixes and everyone seemed to get them. For the technological fix, not only did people mention the double thick hull, but they also mentioned the use of advanced trackers like ben folds.
5. Many people have innovative ideas which are good, but some people discussed collecting the runoff and reusing it. I don't think that is correct becuase the question asked how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
--steve123

1. For this question, everyone answered correctly because the answer was taken directly from the documents. I agree with Steve123 though that it would have been better if the students elaboratd on different oil spill rather than the ones simply in the San Francisco Bay Area.
2. This answer as well was taken from the articles and mostly everyone answered correctly. However, there are many ways oil spills can be cleaned up and many of the students mentioned the same methods. Beluga truly elaborated with his/her answer and I thought their response was great.
3. Everyone answered this question correctly becuase it not only came straight out of the documents but was easy to find with extra research. I think students should just realize that there are going to be effects on animals as well as the water and other resources found on earth.
4. The legislative and technological fixes were easily foudn by each of the students. There were so many and the students found many different ones so I think everyone answered this question very well.
5. Most students noticed that a huge change in our dependency on oil would be by changing the ways we use our cars. By using an electric, hybrid, or simply by using less gasoline our dependency on oil would be largely reduced.
--Pisces

1. Everyone seemed to answer this question correctly, although I do agree with Pisces and steve123 that some people should have spoken more about oil spills in different areas.
2. Most people answered this correctly, but Rilo Kiley, especially, gave a very clear 4-part answer as to how oil spills are cleaned up.
3. I answered similarly to most of the responses, but I probably would have added on facts from bluedog16 who stated the impact that oil spills could have on humans.
4. Mostly everyone put the same answer for this one stating that less oil should be put on ships, and navigational advances need to be made.
5. Everyone had great ideas as to how we can reduce the use of gas and oil. Most people stated that Hybrid or other electric cars should be used which would definitely reduce our oil use. Great job everyone!
--ben folds

1. Everyone seemed to answer this question correctly, although I do agree with Pisces and steve123 that some people should have spoken more about oil spills in different areas.
2. Most people answered this correctly, but Rilo Kiley, especially, gave a very clear 4-part answer as to how oil spills are cleaned up.
3. I answered similarly to most of the responses, but I probably would have added on facts from bluedog16 who stated the impact that oil spills could have on humans.
4. Mostly everyone put the same answer for this one stating that less oil should be put on ships, and navigational advances need to be made.
5. Everyone had great ideas as to how we can reduce the use of gas and oil. Most people stated that Hybrid or other electric cars should be used which would definitely reduce our oil use. Great job everyone!
--ben folds

1. There were many different oil spills talked about throughout the class' answers. That simply goes to show how often these spills happen and how we have to find a way to prevent them from happening.
2. Although the students listed many ways to clean up oil spills, as stated above it is not assured that 100 percent of the oil can be cleaned up and taken out of the water. The best way to handle oil spills is to prevent them in total.
3. One of the two long term effects that were repeatedly talked about was death and extinction. Species can die from eating anything with the oil on it or in it. When the species become extinct it affects the food web. The second long term effect talked about is when the contaminated animal reaches the mouths of humans. Humans are now also contaminated and can become fatally sick from too much oil in their bodies.
4. Many people had the same answers as I came up with. A legislative way to prevent oil a spill is to make laws on the amount of oil used which allows for less oil to be transported everyday. A technological fix is a navigational system so that the boats carrying oil can be tracked and if anything were to happen they could be reached within minutes.
5. Many students touched o the topic of hybrid cars. Hybrid cars are a big step to the reduction of our dependency on oil. If we can actually pull through with it and not just talk about it that will make a huge difference!

--Tiny Bopper

1. Two of the largest oil spills in the world include the Gulf War Oil Spill of 1992 and that of Ixtoc I. The Gulf War Oil Spill was intended as a Iraqi blockade against U.S. enemy troops from arriving to Kuwait or Iraq via the Persian Gulf. The spill, which estimates 42 to 462 million gallons in volume, damaged and killed much of the aquatic environment surrounding Kuwait and Iraq. Ixtoc I, a spill in the Gulf of Mexico, occurred when an oil well exploded, and caused the greatest unintentional oil spill in history.
2. Oil spills are very difficult to clean up without damaging the surrounding environments. Certain detergents can be used to disperse oil in a spill, but not to clean it up. Also, methods of cleaning oil spills include the use of biological agents, burning the oil when it is not windy and the sea is calm, and skimming.
3. Heavy components of crude oil, called polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persist in an environment for a long time if not properly cleaned up; although PAHs are less toxic than other forms of oil, their affects to the environment can be just as deadly because of their persistence. Oil spills greatly affect bird populations in surrounding areas because the oil interferes with their plumage structure and affects their flying and buoyancy on the water. Also, oil can affect sea mammals’ ability to regulate temperature in their bodies, and disturbs their homeostasis patterns.
4. The Oil Spill Prevention Containment and Countermeasures program was created in the US by the EPA to help prevent oil spills in the future. The technological method of prevention involves a secondary containment of the oil to help lessen the probabilities of oil leaking from a boat into the ocean because of some damage to the boat.
5. Our dependency on oil cannot very easily be reduced at this moment. Although we do have some energy alternatives to cars and other elements of our lives that require energy, these methods are expensive an impractical for the majority of the population. Electricity is being used in many different areas such as lights and cars, but the filed has a long was to come before it is completely perfected. Perhaps only small changes in every day lifestyle could reduce our dependency on oil today, such as carpooling or turning off the lights when leaving a room.
--Cake.

1. Everyone answered this question correctly. Starfruit117, however, used statistics to back up their answer. Most people spoke of the oil spill in the San Fransisco Bay because it recently occurred.
2. this question was not directly from the reading, so it required everyone to do a little extra research. Almost everyone answered this question correctly, listing the steps it takes t clean up the oil spill.
3. Many people seemed to answer this question similarly. Some people spoke about how the oil spills can greatly affect birds and animals. Some people did not write how the animals and birds are affected by the oil spill.
4. Mostly everyone answered this question correctly. Many people spoke of the emergency response plan for the legislative part of this question and the technological part some people spoke of a navigation system. Hershey answered this question very well.
5. Since this was a personal response question, there is no wrong answer. Many people spoke about a carpooling system to save gas, while others spoke of hybrid cars.
--hibleaker

1. There was no wrong answer to this question. I liked Cake's answer though because they went into detail about two major oil spills that many people did not talk about. Mostly everyone spoke about the oil spills in the San Fransico bay area.
2. Mostly everyone went into sufficient detail about how to clean an oil spill, Beluga went into detail that I did not see throughout the other responses, however.
3. Mostly everyone spoke about the contamination of the water and the killing of many species that get oil on them. I felt everyone's answer was very good for this question.
4. Almost everyone spoke of new navigation systems and a limit on how much oil the tankers can carry. I liked Starfruit117's very detailed answer as to how those new technologies can help the communities.
5. I liked everyone's ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle the oil we consume. The best responses were the ones where the students said that we should find alternate sources for energy because it is probably the most effective way for us to reduce our dependency on oil.

--Bluedog16

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 large oil spills that have happened in the world.
Two additional oil spills that have occurred in the world include the Exxon- Valdez spill and a spill which took place in San Francisco Bay in 1937. In 1937 a passenger ship and an oil tanker collided causing 2.7 million gallons of crude oil to leak into the Bay. This caused extreme environmental harm as did the Exxon-Valdez spill in 1989 which totaled 11 million gallons of oil.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?
Oil spills are cleaned up using high technology devices which skim the top of the water and suck oil into holding tanks for disposal later. Additionally chemicals are used to disperse the oil and prevent it from remaining in one concentrated area.

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?
Oil spills can not only destroy the environment, and thus the habitat of many animals but they can also create birth defects and mutation amongst animals which may continue through future generations. The thick oil can often times become trapped in animals gills and or feathers and lead to problems down the road with reproduction and survival in a habitat that has been severely tainted.

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.
A legislative measure to prevent future oil spills might include stricter regulations on who is permitted to captain an oil tanker and how many people are necessary to be on board at a time to assist in case of an emergency. Also devices to contain the oil in could be made stronger, the tanks could be made of thicker steel, or the oil could be chemically activated by a particular chemical and made biodegradable upon coming into contact with the air.

5. In light of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.
Ways to reduce oil dependency include utilizing hybrid cars and or hydrogen cell cars. In the immediate future cars could be converted to natural gas to reduce oil usage and in the long term cars could be created that would be capable of being powered by alternative means.

--SaveTheWorld

1. A lot of us talked about the Exxon Valdez incident but we need to understand that the Valdez spill was no where near the top 10 largest spills to ever occur. The only reason we all know of the Valdez spill is because it occured in the United States and it had an incredible impact on wildlife.
2. We all understood the different techologies and techniques used to clean up oil spills. Vivi went into great detail about the different technologies and how they are used collectively.
3. We all identified the various long-term effects of an oil spill. It is important to note that oil is a pollutant which can never permanently leave an enviornment and it will always be present in organisms and become more concentrated through biological magnification.
4. We all discuessed different legislation which created more strict control of oil spills and their causes. Most of us spoke about new double hull designs which limit the chance of an oil spill.
5. Most of us used alternative fuels to reduce our dependence on oil and non-renewable fuels.

--green12

1. People properly answered this question, yet some failed to mention more promientt oil spills such as the GUlf War Oil Spill, the largest in recorded history.
2. The different technologies were aptly explained. Many people bolstered their ideas using specific examples which was very good.
3. The long term effects on the environment were noted as was the fact that the impact of such a spill is continual for many years to come.
4. Different types of legistaltion were explained and many people spoke of the double hull designs as a means by which to reduce the likelehood of oil spills.
5. Alternative fuels were the most popular answer as it is something that hass already been introduced to socieyt and thus is widely know in environmental science circles.
--SaveTheWorld

1. Mostly everyone mentioned the Exxon spill and the San Francisco spill. I think those were the most harmful to our environment because of the amount of oil that leaked.
2. Everyone correctly answered with the four different methods. Beluga did a nice job in going into detail about the different clean up methods.
3. Most everyone talked about the oil affecting animals and different species. Bluedog showed the chain of how an oil spill can go from affecting animals to affecting humans.
4. Most talked about the amount of oil a tanker can carry and i think this is an important part to helping reduce oil spills.
5. Hmm, viv said raising oil prices would reduce our dependence on oil, however i dont think thats true. Yes, some may stop because they realize that the prices are ridiculous but others are just so dependent, that they would even buy expensive gas to get around.

-rilokiley

1. Everyone's answers varied but most worte about the oil spills that occured in the San Fransico Bay area in 1937, 1984, and 1989, just to name a few. This question really allowed me to see that there have really been allot of oil spills in the San Fransico Bay area, indicating the source of many enviromental problems.
2. Doc wrote about the sweeping technique to avoid the oil moving to other places. Also he/she metioned that if the oil is in a large unmanageable quantity, than the scientists would use suction cups to remove the oil from the water.
3. Bluedog16 mentioned that the oil not only affects animals, but humans as well. When the animal ingests the oil and nhumans in turn eat those animals, humans themselves can becomes sick. So, indicerctly, humans hurts themselves when an oil spill occurs.
4. Captain Planet's response was good. He/She wrote about the “Emergency Response Plans” requring captains to have a detailed plan of what to do should an oil spill occurr. I agree with this requirement.
5. Golden ghopher mentioned the possible soultion of using ethenol and making it affordable for everyone to buy it. I think that this would be a good solution because it is was cheaper, people would be more inclined to adopt the resolution.
--starfruit117

1. There were many different oil spills to mention, but the two largest ones were in 1937 and 1984.
2. Everyone answered this correctly, giving techniques to clean up oil spills. Many people mentioned booms and skimmers.
3. Most people mentioned how animals are affected by long-term oil spills through living in and ingesting the water.
4. I like how Doc not only gave a legislative way to prevent oil spills but also gave support with an example of the San Francisco oil spill in 1937.
5. Many people mentioned carpooling and using alternative sources of fuel. I like how GoldenGopher incorporated prices into the answer. It gave a reason why many people in America, a money driven society, would reduce the amount of oil they use.
--beluga

1. Everyone seemed to discuss the large spills in the San Francisco Bay during 1937, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. I felt that people mostly talked about large oil spills in the United States and not about others around the world.

2. Everyone mentioned that there are certain methods used in order to clean up an oil spill. Beluga and $ both answered the question with great detail.

3. The two long term effects that were talked about was extinction of species and harm to the human race. Animals can die from eating anything contaminated with oil. This could eventually hurt the population of certain species. Humans can be harmed by eating contaminated animals. This is why it is very important to stop oil spills from happening.

4. Most people came up with the same ideas for this question. A legislative way to prevent oil spills would be to set up rules and regulations on the quantity of oil aloud to be transported on a tanker. For a technological fix many people spoke about a navigation system which would prevent ships from hitting other things such as reefs, ice bergs, and other small boats.

5. I thought a great solution to this problem would be converting from gasoline to ethanol in our cars.
--snoopy

1) Everyone seemed to have mentioned the same oil spills; the two in the San Fransisco Bay. From this, we can derive that the impact on the bay was very severe and we should learn from this event.
2) Skimmers and burning the surface oil seemed to be the most widely used answer, hinting that, from a viewers stand point, seem to be the most effective.
3) Everyone gave varying answers; and with this knowledge, we are able to realize the true impact that an oil spill can have on an ecosystem.
4) Everyone, including myself, wrote about the limitations placed on the amount of oil that a tanker can carry; however, after further thought, I decided that rather than simply reducing the effect of a potential oil spill, extra measures should be taken to reinforce and protect the vessels that carry the oil.
5) Although I agree that finding an alternative fuel source would greatly reduce our reliance on oil, this seems like a difficult technological/economical leap to take, so at the moment, carpooling would be the most simple and immediate fix.
--Pie

1. The answer to the first question had a couple different choices but most people spoke about the oil spills in the San Fransico bay area and the Exxon Valdez.

2. Everyone who spoke about the four different methods of cleaning oil spills were correct. I like snoopys answer because he went into great detail.

3. There were many good answers to this question. Although those who included more examples in there answer were better. And it helped the reader understand its harmful effects.

4. There were a couple choices that the writer could have included for legislative and technological fixes, although i like Viv123's anwer.

5. These answers were opinionated and i agreed with many of them although some seemed better then others. This answer shows the many changes possible
--$

1. No matter how big, where, or when an oil spill occurred, it is important that we as a country learn from these incidents and correct any possible errors.
2. I learned from some answers here: I did not realize that oil could be broken down through natural processes.
3. I think this question was pretty self-explanatory, oil spills damage ecosystems on the long term.
4. Many people answered like Snoopy, an answer including regulations on the amount of oil allowed on a ship and the use of a navigation system, two preventative measures I did not consider in my own response.
5. This is always a debated problem, as noted by the various answers involving the different methods of scaling down oil demand.
--Cake.

1. Everyone answered this question correctly, but Cake's answer was detailed about the spills.

2. I like Tinny Bopper's description of clean-up methods, because they described them in a non fluffy way.

3. Mostly everyone answered this question, as it comes directly from the reading.

4. I liked Starfruit's response to this question as this act is very important.

5. This is a good question. Many people have different responses based on politics.
--red

1. Everyone's answers varied becuase their were different oil spills to choose from. I chose the ones that leaked the most oil. Most people had this like pisces.
2. Everyone has similiar answers. Beluga elaborated the most.
3. Everyone had similair answers for this one aswell because in the end, it always damages the ecosystem. I like pink's reponse. I would have elaborated more on how it affects the animals.
4. I like green 12 reposne the best. I would have included the name, like she did. Everyone basically spoke about limiting the amount of oil and talked about better navigation systems.
5. Another solution that i would have added would be car pooling. Getting more people to drive together will also reduce traffic. It will have less pollution as there will hopefully be less cars. I still like my idea about ethanol the best.
--GoldenGopher

1. Almost everyone mentioned the oil spils in the San Francisco bay area.
2. Snoopy's answer was very detailed.
3. The answer was in the reading.
4. Most people came up with the Navigation of the oil tanks. Captain planet had a good response with the legislative plan.
5. Many wrote about an alternative fuel source.
-hershey

1. For this question we were able to choose from any oil spill in the world but many choose the San Francisco Bay oil spill.
2. Pisces answer was very detailed and elaborated the most of every approach on cleaning an oil spill.
3. Everyone had similar answers, the animals and environment are harmed.
4. Common responses were about the amount of oil a tanker can carry and how navigation systems are beneficial.
5. I like golden gophers response because it is a simple approach that is an alternative for energy that can ultimately benefit the environment.
--Pink

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