With the continued desire to have oil energy, exploration of oil has taken a different turn. Oil has become highly beneficial, leading to novel techniques of extracting it. Offshore oil drilling has been one of the new techniques to extract oil. Offshore oil exploration essentially encompasses an oil extraction method, whereby oil drilling companies extract the oil under a large mass of water. The historical origin of off shore drilling of oil was established in 1938 in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the initial concept of offshore drilling dates back in 1887when a wooden wharf well was drilled in California (Treehugger, 2009).

With time, other regions of the world followed suit and by 1970’s the most devastating environmental effects were first witnessed in the world. Offshore oil drilling became highly contentious in late 1970’s occasioning considerable bans specifically on offshore drilling. Unlike the land exploration, whereby the sites are constructed on land, offshore oil drilling sites are created under the continental shelf. Globally, offshore drilling is universally accepted, and various regulatory frameworks have been laid down. Amidst the benefits associated with offshore oil drilling, many people find it hard to accept it due to the environmental concerns associated with the entire process of offshore drilling (WiseGeek, 2009).

There are numerous steps, which constitute offshore oil drilling. Initially, the process of drilling was through oil rig, which mainly relied on the depth of the shelf where the exploration was to take place. In addition, the nature of the oil and the prevailing circumstances are factors to be considered in oil rig drilling. The advent of technology has seen major improvements in the form of drilling and also putting in place effective measures to prevent oil spills. The technological advancement and more specifically offshore oil drilling engineers in the field of oil exploration brought about floating rig as a method of oil extraction. In recent years, offshore oil drilling is conducted on ships (WiseGeek, 2009).

The main cause for investigating the impacts of the BP oil spill is to answer the essential question of the impacts of the offshore exploration. The most disadvantageous aspect of offshore drilling is the fact that it raises serious environmental negative effects. The grave danger subjected to marine ecology is worth consideration and cannot be underestimated. The primary cause of environmental hazards through offshore oil drilling is by pollution. The said pollution is due to reckless and careless maintenance of the operated rigs. Further, oil spills are said to be the most common form of pollution at sea or ocean floor. In instances whereby seepage occurs during drilling, metal pollution may also be witnessed. Though it has been argued that rigs offer shelter to marine animals such as birds, it is evident that marine life is highly disrupted (WiseGeek, 2009).

Problem of the statement

With the increased offshore oil exploration in the world today, there is an alarming environmental risk which is worth examination. Offshore oil drilling has continuously presented environmental pollution risks. The covering of the sea water by oil makes the penetration of oxygen impossible hence aquatic animals may suffocate to death and the food substances which require sunlight will die. The creation of global warming in situations whereby the spilled oil burns has had the effect of killing essential aquatic micro organisms hence endangering the surviving species and presenting a global environmental situation. Marine ecology has been substantially disrupted leading to severe living conditions in the sea. Notably, the situation witnessed during the BP oil spill in the Mexican shore with analysis of how the environmental risks evidenced need to be addressed. The environmental concerns presented by the offshore drilling need to be averted. This research seeks to offer viable data to end speculation and assist in showing the position of the world’s offshore oil drilling effects. The ecosystems useful for marine animals to thrive are repeatedly distorted by oil spills hence requiring attention from environmentalists. There are different indicators, which show the effects of human activities on the environment. Oil spills can bring about environmental crises of different kinds. Certain global ecological crises may result to losing of species on earth. The most common case was the extinction of dinosaurs. Oil spills causes marine organisms to move in one place while running away from the oil. By having many organisms in one place, this results into congestion and unhealthy competition by the organisms on the limited food stuff. Worse still, food chains are interfered with compelling some organisms to feed on other organisms. The oil spill situation causes an imbalance in the marine setting which requires clean up. Sometimes the clean-up is not a sure way of ensuring that the effects of the oil spill are counteracted.

Rationale for the research

The main purpose of this research is to identify the environmental hazards occasioned by offshore oil drilling. Further, the research offers knowledge basing on the BP oil spill case which is subsequently essential in identifying the appropriate ways of curbing pollution through oil spills. In addition, the research intents to create awareness about offshore oil drilling companies, environmental activists and other key stakeholders in issues pertaining to environmental risks associated with offshore drilling. The research is essential to policy creators to assess the risks created and the likely regulations required for curbing the said pollution. The study sets the body of information which upon accomplishment, offers solid solutions to marine ecology problems linked with offshore oil drilling.

Statement of the research objectives

The general objective of the study is to examine the impacts of offshore oil drilling on marine ecology.

The specific objectives of the research are as follows;

The purpose and the objective of the study are to identify the key environmental risks of offshore oil drilling on marine ecology. Secondly, the research intends to understand the distinct ways in which marine ecology is disrupted by pollution through offshore oil drilling. Thirdly, the research study aims at determining the possible causes, effects and solutions of off shore oil drilling to marine ecology with a specific attention to the affected aquatic animals. Fourthly, the research will compare the data available to the prevailing environmental concerns. Fifth, the research seeks to investigate the possible solutions to the offshore oil drilling pollutions.

Hypothesis

The following research case study is the null hypothesis of the research; offshore oil drilling negatively affects the marine ecology.

Definition of terms

Aquatic animals are animals that dwell in the water.

Continental shelf is the ground under the water mass of a sea or an ocean

Marine ecology is defined as the interactions of bio organisms and the surrounding environment which includes biotic and abiotic processes. The biotic factors considered how they influence the lives of marine organisms.

Offshore oil drilling is defined as the extraction method whereby oil is drilled from the undersea water mainly in the continental shelf.

Summary

The topic under study is introduced with a major highlight on what is to be covered in the research. This research proposal starts from the introduction whereby offshore oil drilling is given a definition. The statement of the problem is introduced, the rationale of the study, objectives, hypothesis, definition of terms, literature review, methodology, participants and the implication and limitation of the research. The references and the appendices are lastly considered.

Literature Review

The following is the available accessible literature review concerning the impacts of offshore oil drilling to marine ecology and the case study of the BP oil spill. The literature mainly entails books, articles, governmental agencies, journals and other relevant sources.

The BP oil spill famously known as Deep Water Horizon occurred on April 20, 2010 whereby an oil rig ignited and burned for two days. It is estimated 185 million gallons (Robinson & Richard, 2010). For many years, the nature and effects of environmental impacts has been subject to debates. It has been a debate to address complex issues, which are intertwined with the offshore marine processes on aquatic ecosystems. Substantial research show that the different types of offshore oil drilling process, transportation and refining subjects water, air and land to various pollutants. The by-products in the processes affect marine life (National Center for Environmental Economics, 2012).

Offshore oil drilling has in recent years raised a couple of questions worth to be looked. The effects of the toxic substances generated by offshore oil drilling. The connection between oil spills in seas and oceans compared to the foreseeable effects on the lives of marine wildlife. The main cause of pollution, which endangers marine live, is through oil spills. Research shows that in 1964 to 1965, twenty one spills are said to have occurred. It is also estimated that increase of drilling sites will also have an increase in the spilling of oil. The main causes of oil spills either during the development or the production of oil, are said to affect the marine ecology. Tanker accidents and pipe leaks are the sole contributors of oil spills. Reports on oil spills indicate that tanker mishaps highly occasion’s oil spills (Culture Change, 2010).

The effects of oil spills on marine ecology have been categorized into two. First, the short term impact of oil spill is that it disrupts the natural processes of marine organisms. However, it is said that the oil spilled in some instances may not negatively affect the lives of marine organisms since other factors such as the prevailing weather conditions may mitigate the effect of the spill. The natural methods based on weather conditions have also led to chronic pollution, which lasts for years (Marinebio, 2012).

The data available suggests that oil pollution reduces the production of biomass in marine lives. The marine organisms are affected by the disruptions on the dwelling places of the organisms. The marine food ecosystem is interfered. In addition, oil spills have the effect of coating water hence making birds lose their buoyancy. Cases of dead seabirds have been reported due to oil spills (CultureChange, 2010).

Offshore rigs are said to produce a thread of pollution which adversely affect the health of fish and other marine organisms. Further, oil spills activities cause massive destructions on kelp beds and coastal wetlands. With time, an estimate of ninety thousand metric tons of fluids used for drilling and metal cuttings is deposited in the sea or ocean. It is reported that a drill of fifty to a hundred wells deposits twenty thousand pounds of toxic metals into the ocean. The growing threat of offshore oil drilling is evident, and the search for stable oil production has made the previous bans on offshore oil drilling impossible to implement. The debate as to the impacts of offshore drilling has its roots in the dire need to establish how much oil could be generated versus the cost incurred in the production of oil. In recent years, the debate has taken a different shape whereby the potential environmental impacts are put into consideration (Marinebio, 1998-2012).

The BP oil spill has been termed as the worst environmental disaster. The environmental problems, which stemmed from the incidence, have continuously caused problems to humans, non-humans and aquatic animals. Arguably, the environmental risk is not posed during the time of drilling, but the greatest threat is during the transportation of the drilled oil from one point to the other. Some assurances have been put across which are to the effect that technological improvements assist in reducing oil spills. The potential extension of oil spills to other areas is still a point worth attention. In the past, offshore drilling had been banned in various regions and companies given a moratorium. With the lifting, of the ban and areas once restricted were opened for oil exploration. Available data further suggest that the offshore drilling does not have a significant increase in the oil production (Marinebio, 2012).

Though a bigger portion of the literature collected illustrates that marine ecology is negatively affected by offshore oil drilling, it is imperative to note that the oil rigs are used by sea birds for shelter. It follows that the effects of offshore oil drilling ought to be assessed through weighing the negative and the relatively positive side of offshore oil drilling (Robinson, 2010).

Methodology

The method for the research is the case study. The BP oil spill famously known as the deep water horizon and the effects experienced after the spill. The relationship of the study to the marine ecology will be considered. The case study technique is geared towards achieving a comparative method to assist in drawing the appropriate conclusions.

The main deductions of a qualitative research are to be used to reach at a point getting concrete data. The circumstances surrounding the case study are particularly relevant and will be considered to arrive at reliable results.

Participants

The main participants of the research are; the governmental agencies, that handled the case of the BP oil spill, non-governmental and governmental environmental departments. The directors of BP and other key environmental agencies will be the main respondents. Participants for the research entail officials of the mentioned agencies. In every agency, four to five officials will be selected. The mode of selection in this research will be the random selection.

Research Design

Research design encompasses data collection, data analysis, and methods of data collection. Data collection in this research will be through mailing the research questionnaires. An immediate follow up will be made, through a mail should be sent to ensure that the questions are answered. The research relies on questionnaires as the sole mode of data collection. The collected data will be subjected to qualitative analysis whereby the primary data in the questionnaires will be analyzed. The data analyses will be ready for use in formulating the appropriate conclusions.

Data Collection plans

Worth noting is the fact that data collection is the back bone of any research which without the research cannot be accomplished. The appropriate data collection plan for the research is designing of questionnaires. Considering the distance between the researcher and the participants, it will be beneficial to mail them. Questionnaires designed specifically to the BP company officials are intended to be administered through a mail. Data collection from the participants is desired to be mainly through questionnaires whereby the questionnaires are mailed to the participants. To attain a high rate of response; a follow up through a phone call is highly relevant. In addition, the desired high response can be facilitated by assisting the respondents go through the questionnaire through a phone call.

Data analysis

The data collected from participants will be subjected to qualitative analysis. Essentially, the process of data analysis in this research entails considering the data gathered in the research and eventually using it to arrive at certain conclusions. Qualitative methods for data analysis employed to deduce the data gathered through questionnaires. In addition, statistical methods; for instance, the SPSS will be extremely useful in codifying the primary data in the questionnaires into analytical data. Alternatively, the research may also be conducted without the using questionnaires whereby the available secondary data combined with the data of the case study becomes subject to review hence arriving at conclusions.

Implication and limitation

There numerous implications and limitations of the research. First, the proposed sample may not represent the entire population hence the conclusions drawn through the use of the sample may not be entirely reliable. The fact that the research questionnaires are to be mailed; there are high chances of them being ignored and information from the questionnaires may contain information that is not genuine. The questionnaires may be marred by untruthful answers, which lead to the wrong deductions. The specific case study does not have a wide range of population hence the selected sample of participants may offer limited information according to the scope of their understanding.

The research is limited by lack of many cases of study. The narrowing down of the study to the BP oil spill case is restrictive in nature since the population is small hence affecting the nature of selecting the participants. Further, the use of BP officials presents a remarkably viable question of how neutral the information given is. There is a likelihood that the data offered may be one sided hence affecting the conclusions reached. The issue of respondents taking a stand to cover up what transpired may be witnessed in the research.

The process of mailing may be costly, and the questionnaires may be ignored. The willing participants may find it hard to volunteer information, which may necessitate travelling to meet the participants and administering the questionnaires in person. Needless to say, in highly contentious cases, respondents tend to avoid giving straight forward answers on the questions asked.

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The Impacts of Offshore Oil Drilling on Marine Ecology

Introduction

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