ERIC Number: EJ721553
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Mar
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
How Are Oil Spills Treated?
Whitmore, William
Science and Children, v42 n6 p54-55 Mar 2005
No two oil spills are the same. Logistically, oil spills are a nightmare because they are unanticipated and uncontrolled events. Oil spills present a threat to wildlife and coastal resources, concerning everyone from local residents to state environmental agencies and the federal government. Thousands of people may be involved in a significant spill and the response needs to be quick. This article describes methods of response, and clean up used to secure and contain the spill, use of chemical dispersants, and in situ burning when oil becomes heavily trapped in marsh grasses and must be removed. Sometimes it?s best just to let the environment fix itself. If the spill is not severe enough to warrant in-situ burning or cutting marsh grasses, "passive recovery" may be best. The goal is always to do no more harm to the environment than the oil itself.
National Science Teachers Association, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.nsta.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A