The new dead sea
On Jan. 25, 1991 Iraqi troops began releasing oil into the Persian Gulf from the Sea Island supertanker loading facility and from five scuttled tankers located 10 miles off the coast of Kuwait. Dubbed ecoterrorism, the act was to have served by preventing an amphibious assault into Kuwait by Allied troops. The consequences, however, will prove to be more drastic and far-reaching ecologically than anyone can predict. Recent experiences with major oil spills have resulted in inevitable comparisons between this even and what had, to date, been the largest oil spill in history, namely the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. Given the vast differences between these two situations, however, using such comparisons to develop a rationale for dealing with the Sea Island disaster would be risky. The Persian Gulf is a unique area with important characteristics that necessitate special handling of the response to this event. The Persian Gulf, also known as the Arabian Gulf, is a shallow marginal sea of the Indian Ocean. Although the area is more known for its oil production, the Gulf also boasts a large commercial fishing industry. Tuna, mackerel, sardines and shrimp are regularly shipped from Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain to other parts of the world. Pearl fishing is still an active industry, although it is on the decline due to the increases Japanese production of cultured pearls. Water is perhaps the most precious commodity in the Persian Gulf. Sea water from the Gulf is pumped through desalination (multistage flash distillation process) plants to provide drinking water to many Gulf states. The desalination plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, alone provides 800,000 tons of fresh water daily to Saudi citizens and Allied troops. In addition, manufacturing plants and oil refineries along the coast rely on Gulf water for cooling purposes. All of these uses of Gulf water are threatened by the Sea Island slick.
- OSTI ID:
- 5647714
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Health; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Health; (USA); ISSN 0022-0892; ISSN JEVHA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Persian Gulf: their oil, our need
Biggest oil spill tackled in gulf amid war, soft market
Related Subjects
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ARABIAN SEA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
INDIAN OCEAN
MIDDLE EAST
OIL SPILLS
PERSIAN GULF
REACTOR SAFETY
RESOURCES
SAFETY
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER QUALITY
WATER RESOURCES