Discuss whether oil spills that wash ashore or those that stay out at sea are more destructive to sea life. Why?
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Those that stay out at sea are more destructive. Generally,1/3 of an oil spill gets dissolved in seawater,1/3 gets evaporated & rest forms a tarry lump that sinks on the bottom.That part which gets dissolved in seawater,alters the chemistry of water,thereby killing all phytoplankton, which is the food of majority of animal larvae,& if these larvae are not provided by food,they are prone to die. Even otherwise,due to physical contact with oil spill,these larvae,juveniles & even adults face certain death.Those adults which has good powers of locomotion,can swim away from the area & are saved,but not the majority of them.
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I would say oil that is washed up on shore is less destructive since the oil may be more accessible to clean up whereas oil that stays out in sea needs some type of surfactant to aid in collecting oil. It has been proven through countless peer reviewed articles that different types of surfactants interfere with the embryonic development of certain types of sea creatures most notably the sea urchin.