[neilep (OP)]

Dearest Peeps Of Science Niceness and Luff,


We've all seen those times when there's been an awful oil spill on the sea and sometimes I see them dragging the oil with big graspy things...other times I see them spraying the oil with stuff !!

What is the stuff that they spray the oil with ?...I gather it's some form of detergent yes....?..so what does it do ?...

Does it fix the problem 100% and what happens to the oil ?


Oil don't know....do ewe ?

[Seany]

Hmm I'm not sure exactly.. But it might break down the oil or something, so that it protects the fishies from dying.

Also, it could just be chlorine or something, so that it kills off any bacteria that may be in the oil.

I was also thinking that it may just be more water to dilute the oil, but oil is separated from water! []

[another_someone]

My understanding is that traditionally they have used detergent to break up the oil, but more recently they have begun to think that the detergent is actually more dangerous than the oil, and the oil, once broken up, may actually stay around longer than the more intense, but shorter duration, of the problem with thickly clumped oil.

That is my understanding, but I may be wrong.

[Seany]

Well George.. As our motivator. I think you are right. []

[Seany]

Oooo!!! The book called Animal Farm by George Orwell.. Have you read it? You remind me of Boxer, the really persistent motivator! []

[neilep (OP)]

I don't want to kill my thread but are ewe saying Seany that this is George http://www.mrmotivator.com/

George..THANK YOU for your answer.....any ideas what they might be using instead of detergent ?

[Seany]

Woah!! He's exactly like it!!!! []

OK, let's go back to Neil's topic....

Maybe they are spraying more water, so that the oils separate a bit over a large surface, so that the effect it has on the animals and plants in the water is less radical..?

[neilep (OP)]

I don't think they'll be using just plain old water to dissipate it...it would have to be an almighty blast ...but...ewe could be right !!

[Seany]

Yes.. I thought it might not have been. []

[dentstudent]

I thought that there was a bacteria being developed that could be used to "eat" slicks? But the sea seems to be very good at dispersing of it itself.

[Karen W.]

they need a giant sponge!

[Carol-A]

I think that most of the oil is broken down by bacteria over a period of time, and spraying detergent emulsifies the oil, giving a much bigger surface for the bacteria to work on.

[dentstudent]

There is also the fact that oil is a natural product, and it is our own perception that states that it looks awful on the beach. We are trained to think that it is bad by the media coverage, for example, a poor oil-bedraggled bird. Are there examples of oil naturally surfacing? Or perhaps we have such control over these fields that this doesn't happen?

Undeniably, spillages do have a short term effect on very local issues, but (it appears) never any long term damage. Is there any evidence of long-term harm to seashores as a result of oil spillages?