A Comparison of Response Technologies for Offshore Oil Spills Exxon Valdez and BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989 and the BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil well blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 are considered the two worst oil spills in North American history. The released oil caused devastating impacts to the marine ecosystem. The nature of these two oil spills and the spill locations were vastly different; therefore, their environmental impacts and remediation technologies are also different. The purpose of this research is to conduct a literature review to compare and contrast these two catastrophic oil spills and determine which long-term remediation treatments (beside initial response approaches, e.g., booms, control ignitions) were/are most effective and least invasive given the different environments in which the oil spills occurred. After analyzing and comparing the environmental conditions and remediation treatments of these two oil spills, bioremediation, the acceleration of degradation processes through stimulation of microorganisms, is considered most effective over the long term. Bioremediation is a non-invasive and cost-effective process compared to the traditional physical oil removal methods. However, a combination of approaches is often most effective for response approaches and longer-term remediation strategies. Ultimately, the most effective approach is to avoid oil spills.