Oil Spills

Learn more about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the chemistry of oil spills, and try related activities.

2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

• "Aftermath of Disaster" article by Cheryl Hogue, Chem. Eng. News, September 20, 2010, 88(38), pp22–23.
• Chemical & Engineering News Special Issue—Disaster in the Gulf (American Chemical Society)
• April 29, 2010 Article and Slide Show: Gulf Oil Spill Could Eclipse Exxon Valdez Disaster (National Public Radio)
• Chemical & Engineering News—Scientists Use Social Networking To Study Spill (American Chemical Society)
• 5 Wild Technologies Being Used Now to Clean Up the BP Oil Spill (Popular Mechanics)
• The Science of the Oil Spill (Science)
• Google Earth: How Big Is the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?
• Former Student Assists in Oil Spill Response (Purdue University)

Oil Spill History and General Information

• Resources for the Science of Oil Spills (The Ohio Resource Center)
• 10 Famous Spills (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• 10 Biggest Oil Spills in History (Popular Mechanics)
• What’s the Story on Oil Spills? (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

The site was last updated in 2008, so information on largest spill in U.S. is dated, but students could recalculate values.

• Effects of Maritime Oil Spills on Wildlife (Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

Managing Spilled Oil

• US Oil Spill Testing Ground for Dispersants (Royal Society of Chemistry)
• Nanotubes to Soak Up Oil Spills (Royal Society of Chemistry)
• Dispersants: A Guided Tour (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• How Oil Breaks Down in Water (Popular Mechanics)

Oil Activities

• Simulated Oil Spill Activity from A Natural Approach to Chemistry
• Graphing Changes in Marine Life Abundance (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• Cleaning Oiled Feathers (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• Oil Spill Cleanup (Teach Engineering)
• The Drill on the Spill: Learning About the Gulf Oil Leak in the Lab (The New York Times)