Gulf War oil spill

Sauer TC, Brown JS, Boehm PD, et al. 1993. Hydrocarbon source identification and weathering characterization of intertidal and subtidal sediments along the Saudi Arabian coast after the Gulf War Oil Spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27 117-134. 

Gulf War oil spill Persian Gulf, off coasts of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 1991 January 23 1,770,000... 

Bu-Olayan AH, Subramanyam MNV, Al-Sarawi M, Thomas BV (1998) Effects of the Gulf War oil spill in relation to trace metals in water, particulate matter, and PAHs from the Kuwaiti coast. Environ Int 24 789-797... 

Table 3.1), but even a 30-carbon alkane = 0.8097 g/mL) is less dense than water = 1.00g/mL). Therefore, a mixture of an alkane and water will separate into two distinct layers, with the less dense alkane floating on top. The Alaskan oil spill in 1989, the Gulf War oil spill in 1991, and the oil spiU in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 are large-scale exanples of this phenomenon because cmde oil is primarily a mixture of alkanes. 

Oil spills cause significant environmental problems. The largest spill in history was the deliberate release of oil into the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War. The second largest spill took place in 1979 when an exploratory well off the coast of Mexico released about 140 million gallons of oil. 

Petroleum residues were measured in the northern Arabian Sea to assess the contamination following the oil spills resulting from the Gulf War in 1991. Little change in variables related to oil pollution took place in any compartment of the marine environment—water, plankton, fish, and sediments (Sengupta et al. 1993). 

The gulf war of 1991 is a good example of the destruction of marine life due to oil spills and air pollution due to oil refineries catching fire. Oil spills on ocean surfaces is harmful to aquatic life because it... 

Photo 7 Oil and oiled weeds are shown here, a result of the Persian Gulf War spill, the largest spill recorded to date. (Oil Spill Response Limited)... 

Photo 117 Oil from the massive Gulf War spill is accumulating on sand beaches behind this breakwater. (Al Allen)... 

Despite the ongoing war, the clean-up of the oil spill proceeded rapidly. Kuwaiti crude is rich in light ends, and water in the Arabian Gulf water is relatively warm. For these reasons, about half of the spilled oil evaporated, Kuwaiti crude simply evaporated, leaving behind a thick emulsion which eventually solidified and sank to the bottom of the sea. Another 1.5 million barrels were recovered by skimming. Operators of sea-water cooled factories and desalination plants were concerned that the oil might foul liieir intake systems. To prevent this, protective booms that extended three feet (1 meter) below the surface were installed around intakes in Bahrain, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. 

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