Final answer:
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill, releasing about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico due to a blowout in 2010. It caused severe environmental and economic damage, and its long-term impacts are still under study. This case study exemplifies the environmental risks associated with deep-sea oil drilling.
Step-by-step explanation:
Case Study: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, starting with a blowout on April 20, 2010. Over an 87-day period, approximately 4.9 million barrels (210 million gallons) of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico from a ruptured well located 5000 feet below the water's surface. The properties of crude oil being immiscible with water and less dense allowed the oil to rise and spread across the water's surface, causing extensive environmental damage.
Environmental and Health Impacts
The spill had catastrophic effects on local wildlife, ecosystems, and the livelihoods of people dependent on the Gulf for their income. The use of Corexit, a chemical dispersant sprayed by a US Air Force plane, was one of the immediate response measures to break down the oil. However, despite clean-up efforts, the long-term environmental impacts and potential health effects on local communities are still concerns, as seen in other regions afflicted by environmental disasters, such as Centralia, Pennsylvania and Hinkley, California.
In addition to ecological harm, the incident prompted the establishment of the National Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to investigate the causes and policy response to this disaster. The case study of the Deepwater Horizon spill illustrates the risks associated with deep-sea oil drilling and the magnitude of their potential impacts on both the environment and human health.