Serious environmental impact feared in Gulf of Mexico

Thick black smoke comes from controlled burning of oil on sea surface.

By Carol Forsloff

NEW ORLEANS – “BP won’t be able to dig their way out of this one.”

That is the verdict from environmentalists who are aghast at the consequences of tens of thousands of gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico on a daily basis and there is no end in sight to the catasrophic  spill.
Authorities on the Gulf reported two oiled birds they washed and returned are okay – but those same authorities warn if the oil comes ashore, as it may very well do according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency depending on the winds and water, wildlife will be threatened.

So what are the risks to wildlife?

The National Wildlife Federation enumerates some of the following for being specifically of concern:

* Sea turtles will be impaired significantly in an oil slick.  Young ones spend lots of their time at the water’s surface, where the stick oil is likely to be.  Adult sea turtles can feed upon tar balls, these clumps of hard oil materials, because these turtles have what the NWF declares no avoidance behaviors when encountering an oil slick.  The organization also observes that five out of the seven most endangered turtles are in the Gulf of Mexico waters.

* Birds can die when they contact oil, especially those species in coastal waters, such as the brown pelicans.  Birds that land and then float on the water risk hypothermia from oil that entangles in their feathers, affecting their ability to stay warm.  It also impedes their ability to acquire food.  In addition toxic chemicals can get into their bodies and weaken or kill them.  Their reproductive capabilities can be diminished even of the oiled birds have been cleaned.

* Shellfish and fish, among the paramount parts of seafood industries that lie in the coastal lands of Louisiana, are immobile and can’t escape the oil.  They too will ingest the substance and die.

* Marine mammals are another bunch at risk, although harder to determine their specific abilities under different conditions.  What is known, however, is that many breathe air and have to come to the surface of the water to breathe, in areas where the oil is most often found.  This puts these mammals also at risk.

The Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation and Greenpeace have all sent representatives to the Gulf near the sites where impact on wildlife is likely to investigate and support efforts to save animals at risk.  These organizations also have fund drives for people to help.

The message is this:  Wildlife is serious risk from this oil spill and may be for a very long time.

Mark Foegel, of Greenpeace declares, “This is much bigger than people have thought.  And BP won’t be able to dig their way out of this one.”

-Carol Forsloff is writing from Louisiana.

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Related posts:

1. 42,000 gallons of oil leaking into Gulf of Mexico
2. 1,000 barrels of crude per day leaking into Gulf of Mexico
3. Gulf of Mexico oil spill to hit coast on Thursday
4. First oil fouled bird turns up in Gulf of Mexico disaster
5. Sea turtles seen swimming in oil in Gulf of Mexico

Posted by Carol Forsloff on May 10 2010. Filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry