An ecological crisis is a special type of environmental situation, when the habitat of a species or population changes so that its continued survival is called into question. The main causes of the crisis are abiotic and biotic ones. Abiotic causes are observed when the quality of the environment degrades in comparison with the needs of the species after a change of abiotic environmental factors (e.g., temperature increase or decrease the amount of rain). Biotic causes are present when the environment becomes difficult for the survival of the species (or population) due to increased pressure from predators or because of overpopulation (DesJardins, 2013).
The crisis can be of global and local scales. It is much harder to deal with a global environmental crisis than with a local one. The solution to this problem can only be achieved by minimizing the pollution produced by humankind to a level, with which the ecosystem will be able to cope on its own. This paper will talk about the ecological crisis caused by the explosion of the oil platform Deepwater Horizon. This ecological crisis is both an example of manmade disaster and an example of its successful resolution. Oil spills are common nowadays and the explosion of the oil platform Deepwater Horizon gives a lesson to humanity how to prevent such situations in future.
The History of the Explosion of Deepwater Horizon.
The Deepwater Horizon incident, which resulted in explosion and fire, took place on April 20, 2010 on the oilrig located 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Becoming the largest oil spill in the US history, the incident also was one of the largest manmade disasters with its negative effects on the environment. At the time of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon platform, 11 people were killed and 17 of 126 people on the platform were affected (Liu, MacFadyen, Ji, & Weisberg, 2011). At the end of June 2010, there were reports of the death of two more people in the aftermath of the disaster (Liu et al.