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| This oil rig operates in the channel off the coast of Goleta, Calif. Rigs such as these remove oil from the seafloor seeps
that otherwise would leak directly into ocean waters. Robert Harbison/CSM/File |
Ooey, gooey oil seeps on the seafloor
For kids: Off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., people aren't polluting the ocean with oil – nature is.
from the April 22, 2008 edition
Page 3 of 3
A word to the wise
Tar and oil seepage tends to increase in warm water. With global temperatures rising and the world's oceans warming, that means more tar balls on the beach. So if you and your family are planning to visit Santa Barbara, remember: Have fun on the beach, but watch where you step!
Some whale species may owe their survival more to a Polish pharmacist than to international agreements limiting commercial whaling.
In the early 1850s, Ignacy Lukasiewicz and another pharmacist, Jan Zeh, began experimenting with oil from natural seeps near Lviv, a city in modern-day Ukraine. They hoped to turn seep oil into an alternative to whale oil, which was expensive.
Whale oil was widely used as a fuel for lamps and a lubricant for machinery. The global whaling industry built hundreds of whaling boats, and many thousands of whales were slaughtered. It was very profitable.
Building on techniques perfected by Abraham Gesner in Canada, Lukasiewicz developed a method of turning gooey seep oil into clear kerosene fuel. Lukasiewicz's kerosene was easy to produce and it was cheaper than whale oil.
Interest in kerosene lamps grew when, on July 31, 1853, Lukasiewicz was asked to bring a lamp to the hospital so doctors could perform surgery after dark. The hospital staff were so impressed that they ordered some of his lamps.
Word spread, and soon much of Europe wanted kerosene lamps, too. People no longer wanted so much whale oil. It smelled bad and spoiled over time. Demand fell, and many factories that made whale oil closed.
By the late 1800s, commercial whaling had declined substantially, allowing some whale populations slowly to replenish.
• A guide to California's oil seeps is available from the United States Geological Service at http://seeps.wr.usgs.gov.
• To learn about oil's role in prehistoric California, visit the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits: www.tarpits.org.
• Visit the kids' page on oil in the sea at the Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway: http://oils.gpa.unep.org/kids/kids.htm.
• For science activities and puzzles about oil and the environment, see the Kids Playground page at www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/kids/kids.htm.
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