UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Karolina Špinarova
Corina Grbeša

Mentor: doc. dr. Danijel Crnčec

Deepwater Horizon: The challenges of preventing oil spills

Research paper

Ljubljana, 2025.
Table of contents:
1. Introduction
2. Impacts of oil spills on the environment
3. Case study: Deepwater Horizont oil spill
4. Conclusion
5. References
 1. Introduction
The modern world is constantly being affected by a variety of environmental issues
and concerns, varying from minor problems such as air pollution to those of major concern
such as climate change. No matter the consequences and how easy it is to solve them, every
environmental issue deserves a proper scientific research and therefore a solution. Oil spills
are, without a doubt, a major environmental concern. As the US Environmental Protection
Agency, also known as EPA, defined it in their “Understanding Oil Spills And Oil Spill
Response” document adopted in 1999.: “Oil spills endanger public health, imperil drinking
water, devastate natural resources, and disrupt the economy.” This stresses out the complexity
of the consequences that oil spills impose, it is not only about the long-term effects but also
about our every day life. Nonetheless, this paper will focus primarily on the effects and
consequences of oil spills on the environment.
The question that will lead the whole research is: “Why do oil spills have such a
significant impact on environment, primarily marine ecosystems and wildlife?” To fully
comprehend the research question and the efforts to answer it, it is good to define main
concepts such as oil spills, marine ecosystems and wildlife. “Oil spills are the accidental
release of oil, or other petroleum products usually into freshwater or marine ecosystems, and
usually in large quantities.” (EEA Glossary, 2004.). “Marine ecosystem is a complex of living
organisms in the ocean environment.” (Britannica, 2024.). “Wildlife are animals and plants
that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions.” (EEA Glossary, 2004.). To
answer the research questions, the literature analysis method will be used in this paper,
together with a conducted case study. The event analysed in the case study is Deepwater
Horizon oil spill which occured in 2010. on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as it is perceived
as the most devestating oil spill in the history with significant consequences on the
environment. Therefore, the research question will be answered through the case study
analysis.
Primary source of information will be documents from relevant actors such as
European Maritime Safety Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and International
Maritime Organization and scientific literature by the academic and epistemic community.
Documents such as Understanding Oil Spills And Oil Spill Response, Spill Prevention,
Preparedness, and Response Program and other will also be analyzed as they contain the
majority of scientific facts and information on every aspect of oil spills.
 2. Impacts of oil spills on the environment
As it was mentioned in the introduction, the consequences of oil spills are severe. Oil
spills negatively impact human lives, natural resources and the complexity of environment,
whether it’s wildlife, natural habitats or ecosystems which this paper is focusing on. When an
oil spil occurs, the whole marine environment of a certain area is endangered. “Aquatic
environments are made up of complex interrelations between plant and animal species and
their physical environment. Harm to the physical environment will often lead to harm for one
or more species in a food chain, which may lead to damage for other species further up the
chain.” (Understanding Oil Spills And Oil Spill Response, 1999, p. 7). But even though the
whole marine environment is affected, not every single marine organism is impacted in the
same intensity. Certain organisms require being in deep waters to live and therefore are more
likely to avoid the harm. Whereas, organisms living near the surface of the sea or close to the
shore, are more likely to be affected. “The potential effects of oil contamination on biota can
vary from species to species.” (Asif et al, 2022, p. 2). Usually, the animals that are affected
the most by oil spills are birds and mammals.
There are several ways and forms in which oil affects animals. The first one, also the
most obvious one, is physical contact. “When fur or feathers come into contact with oil, they
get matted down. This matting causes fur and feathers to lose their insulating properties.”
(Understanding Oil Spills And Oil Spill Response, 1999, p. 8). With losing insulation,
animals are at risk of mobility impairment and severe injuries. Apart from the physical and
mechanical aspects, the ingestion and contamination of toxic chemicals from oil is another
serious problem. This occurs in several ways, from animals inhaling chemicals through the air
because of the evaporation to actually ingesting oil. “Oil vapors can cause damage to the
animal’s central nervous system, liver and lungs.” (Understanding Oil Spills And Oil Spill
Response, 1999, p. 8).
Marine wildlife organisms are not the only thing endangered but their habitats too,

which can be destroyed if they are overly coated in oil. “The most sensitive habitats that could

be at great risk of oil contamination are coral reefs, mangroves and saltmarshes.” (Asif et al,

2022, p. 3). This is particularly dangerous for animals such as turtles and sea birds since they

heavily depend on coastlines. There are certain factors that influence how impacted habitats

are by oil spilling, such as the amount and the type of oil spilled, the geographical area of the

accident and, one pf the most important factors, persistence: “Persistance is a measure of how
long oil stays in the environment before breaking down.” (Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and

Response Program, 2019, p. 3). The higher the persistence in a certain oil, the bigger the

threat to habitats and its animals. Oil spill accidents impose a great threat to the marine life

and therefore to the entirety of the environment: „Long-term damage to species and their

habitats and nesting or breeding grounds is one of the most far-reaching environmental

impacts caused by oil spills. Even species that spend most of their lives at sea, such as various

species of sea turtles, must come ashore to nest.“ (Akpan, 2022, p. 198). In order to uphold

the positive population rates and continue the food chain without disruptions, wildlife must

have habitats that are untouched by human impact.