Effect of oil spills on seabirds

Seabirds are marine birds. They make their primary living in the oceans. Seabirds in comparison with normal birds generally live longer. They also experience long-distance migrations in their lifespan.

According to new research, tiny amounts of crude oil on the water's surface can damage the feathers of seabirds. This study has been published in the Royal Society Open Science.

The research team from the Marine Ecology Group in UCC in Ireland collected feathers from Manx shearwaters. It is a seabird species that are thought to be at risk of oil pollution. The researchers examined the feathers of seabirds. They did this to overlook how quickly water passes after exposure to increasing concentrations of oil. These feathers were assessed under high-powered microscopes to examine structural changes.

The result of this study discovered that the extremely thin oil sheens, between 0.1 and 3 micrometers in thickness, were enough to have a significant effect on feather structure and impact waterproofing.

Other studies have also shown that seabirds when exposed to oil, they are more likely to become waterlogged, cold, and less buoyant.

Various types of research on oil spills have shown that the toxic chemicals remain in the ocean for years and years. Thereafter it settles down at the bottom thereby poisoning the ocean floor. This poisoning can kill various animals and birds present in the water. Also, it can kill them due to the increase in suffocation.  

Unrefined oil (crude oil) has been spilled into the sea in huge volumes due for various reasons. First is the disasters such as Exxon Valdez and Sea Empress spills.

Exxon Valdez oil spill was a massive oil spill that occurred on March 24, 1989, in Alaska. This spill polluted over 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) of the intended shoreline as well as nearby water bodies. Thousands of people contributed to the cleaning process of this oil spill. Despite all these efforts, the spill destroyed much of the native wildlife, such as sea otters, salmon, etc.

Sea Empress spills occurred on 15^th February 1996. The Sea Empress oil tanker ran aground. The oil tanker spilled 72,000 tons of crude oil along the Pembrokeshire Coastline.

Apart from the disaster reason, it is also released into the environment due to extraction and transportation activities. The release of crude oil increases oil pollution in the seas.

Pollution of any kind is always harmful to the life of living beings. Thus, oil pollution also poses threat to the existing seabird population. Even though it is released at moderate levels, oil spreads quickly across the surface of the sea, thereby coating a large marine area. This can be harmful to seabirds.  

Emma Murphy, the lead author of the study, said, "Chronic small-scale oil pollution is commonly overlooked in the marine environment, though it has been shown to have serious implications for the fitness and survival of seabirds. This study examined one species, but the results can be extended to other species that rely on waterproofing to stay healthy when at sea for long periods."