Oil spill in the Galapagos
On January 16th a tanker carrying 243,000 gallons of oil, ran aground near the Galapagos Islands. This terrible event spread oil slicks over 488 square miles, and has potential to cause serious irreparable harm, to this historic chain of islands. In addition to endangering many precious species, the human population in this area has also suffered greatly. Thankfully only 170,000 gallons of oil managed to escape the vessel. Companies and the U.S. coast guard later retrieved the additional oil. Emergency aid was also requested to contain the spill as quickly as possible. Containment is currently said to be fairly successful, but most of the damage has already been done. Sea Lions, booby birds and over 30 pelicans along with other birds have been spotted with diesel
Sadly this damage could be grave for the hundreds of sea lions and thousands of reptiles that populate Santa Fe. In the future we can only hope for better preemptive measures to ensure that this can be avoided. So very simply this and other problems of the Galapagos can be associated with population. All islands in the chain of Galapagos depend on the sea; it's a large part of their life, and their job. The feeding areas of these birds are right in the center of the spill, which may result in a massive loss of these birds. All of this damage was done because a fairly simple mistake was made. It angers and disappoints me, when I hear about something like this occurring. To conclude, any incident of an oil spill is terrible, but when one happens in such a historic and respected area, I think it should serve as a wake up call. This in turn will affect hundreds of thousands of animals, and a protected environment. If this algae is destroyed a vital link in the food chain will break, seriously endangering marine iguanas, sharks, birds, and fish that feed off this algae. The long-term threat of the oil reaching the ocean floor is that large amounts of algae could be destroyed. The Galapagos National Park has warned residents not to eat fish or swim in the water, causing the public serious alarm. Ecuadorian President Gustavo Noboa has ordered a full investigation. These birds are very territorial, apparently relocation is very difficult. Another interesting point that very few people are aware of is what happens when the oil sinks into the ocean.
Common topics in this essay:
Gustavo Noboa,
Galapagos Islands,
National Park,
Fe Island,
Santa Fe,
,
Sea Lions,
algae destroyed,
gallons oil,
santa fe,
sea lions,
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