Oil in the Sea IV: Quick Guide for Practitioners and Researchers (2023)
Chapter: Introduction
The past 20 years have brought many changes to the ways in which oil and natural gas are extracted, transported, and consumed—which, in turn, has changed the pathways through which oil finds its way into the environment. In addition, new research has helped regulators to implement new safety requirements, spill responders to develop innovative oil cleanup techniques, and the industry to employ updated operational practices and safety measures to limit oil pollution.
Despite significant progress in reducing oil pollution in the sea, risks remain. In North American waters, estimated oil pollution from land-based runoff is up to 20 times higher than it was 20 years ago, and oil spills and discharge from oil and gas operations are still major sources of pollution. At the same time, more intense storms, aging infrastructure, and sea-level rise—a consequence of climate change—pose additional risks of oil spillage.
There have been remarkable and unprecedented advances in oil spill science in recent decades, in particular following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Sustained research funding has resulted in an extraordinary output of field, laboratory, and test facility research that has led to new insights on the composition of oil, the effects of response efforts, the processes that break oil down, and the impacts oil has on the health of ecosystems and communities. These advances demonstrate the need for sustained research to ensure that efforts to prevent harm to marine life and coastal communities are effective.
With the support of many agencies and industry, the National Academies published reports in 1975, 1985, and 2003 on the sources, fates, and effects of oil in the sea. Oil in the Sea IV, the fourth report in the series, documents the current state of knowledge on these topics reflecting almost 20 years of research on long-term effects of oil spills on the environment from incidents including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the DWH explosion and oil spill. The report identifies gaps in research and understanding, recommends actions to minimize oil pollution, and calls for sustained research funding to better understand how oil reaches and affects ocean environments.
IMAGE SOURCE: Geri Lavrov.
