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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

June 8th, World Oceans Day

Today, June 8th is World Oceans Day.

The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network has helped coordinate events and activities throughout the world. In December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution making World Oceans Day officially recognized by the UN on June 8th each year.

Nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water. The oceans have played a crucial role in the history and sustenance of all life.

From the Ocean Project: 
The World's Oceans....
*Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
*Helps feed us
*Regulates our climate


Goals of World Oceans Day

Encourage individuals to think about what the ocean means to them and what it has to offer all of us with hopes of conserving it for present and the future generations.

Discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.

Celebrate - whether you live inland or on the coast we are all connected to the ocean; take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean, and then organize or participate in activities that celebrate our world ocean.

Like so many people, the recent oil spill has left me angry, devastated and wondering whether we will see the destruction of marine life, oceans and coastal areas during our life time.

It's up to each one of us to help ensure that our ocean is protected and conserved for future generations. Please don't just leave memories of the wonders of the Oceans for our children and grandchildren.

Oceans and the Oil Spills







The oil spill in the Gulf is just one of many oil spills that have occurred in our world over the last seventy years (79 oil spills from all 7 continents are noted and it is not a complete list). Reference: Wikipedia: Oil Spills 

2010
April 20, 2010. Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, USA
April 3, 2010. Great Barrier Reef, Shen Neng 1, Great Keppel Island, Australia
January 23, 2010. Port Arthur, Texas, USA

2009
August 21, 2009. Montara, Timor Sea, Western Australia
July 31, 2009. Full City, Rognsfjorden, south of Langesund, Norway
March 10, 2009. Queensland, Australia
February 14, 2009. West Cork, Southern coast of Ireland

2008
July 28, 2008. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

2007
December 12, 2007. Statfjord, Norwegian Sea, Norway
December 7, 2007. Korea Yellow Sea, South Korea
November 23, 2007. MV Explorer, south of King George Island, Antarctica
November 11, 2007. Kerch Strait, Ukraine & Russia
November 7, 2007. 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill San Francisco, California, USA
October 23, 2007. Kab 101, Bay of Campeche, Mexico

2006
August 11, 2006. Guimaras, Philippines
July 14, 2006. Jiyeh, Lebanon
June 19, 2006. Citgo refinery, Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
March 2, 2006. Prudhoe Bay, Alaska North Slope, Alaska, USA

2004
December 8, 2004. MV Selendang Ayu, Unalaska Island, Alaska, USA
November 26, 2004. Athos 1, Delaware River, USA

2003
July 28, 2003. Tasman Spirit Karachi, Pakistan
April 27, 2003. Bouchard No.120, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

2002
November 13, 2002. Prestige, Galicia, Spain
October 6, 2002. Limburg, Gulf of Aden

2001
October 4, 2001. Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, Alaska
January 14, 2001. Amorgos oil spill, Southern coast of Taiwan
January 22, 2001. Jessica, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

2000
June 6, 2000. Treasure Cape Town, South Africa
January 18, 2000. Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

1999
December 12, 1999. Erika Bay of Biscay, France

1998
January 12, 1998. Mobil Nigeria oil spill Nigeria

1997
December 10, 1997. Nakhoda Sea, Japan

1996
September 27, 1996. Julie N. Portland, Maine, USA
February 15, 1996. Sea Empress Wales, UK
January 19, 1996. North Cape Rhode Island, USA

1994
March 31, 1994. Seki United Arab Emirates
January 7, 1994. Morris J. Berman, Puerto Rico

1993
January 5, 1993. Braer Shetland, UK

1992
December 3, 1992. Aegean Sea, Coruña, Spain
April 16, 1992. Katina P Maputo, Mozambique
March 2, 1992. Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

1991
July 21, 1991. Kirki, off the coast of West Australia
May 28, 1991. ABT Summer, off Angola
April 11, 1991. MT Haven Mediterranean Sea near Genoa, Italy
January 23, 1991. Gulf War, Persian Gulf

1990
September 16, 1990. Jupiter, Saginaw River, near Bay City, Michigan, USA
June 8, 1990. Mega Borg, Gulf of Mexico, SE of Galveston, Texas
March 6, 1990. Barge Cibro Savannah, Citgo facility, Linden, New Jersey
February 7, 1990. American Trader, Bolsa Chica State Beach, California, USA

1989
December 19, 1989. Khark 5, off Atlantic coast of Morocco
March 24, 1989. Exxon Valdez Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

1988
November 10, 1988. Odyssey, off Nova Scotia, Canada
January 2, 1988. Ashland, Floreffe, Pennsylvania, USA

1985
December 6, 1985. Nova, South of Kharg Island, Arabian Gulf
September 28, 1985. Grand Eagle, Delaware River, Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, USA

1983
August 6, 1983. Castillo de Bellver, Saldanha Bay, South Africa
February 4, 1983. Nowruz, Persian Gulf

1980
March 7, 1980. Tanio , Brittany, France
February 23, 1980. Irenes Serenade Navarino Bay, Greece

1979
November 15, 1979. MT Independenta Bosphorus, Turkey
November 1, 1979. Burmah Agate Galveston Bay, Texas, USA
July 19, 1979. Atlantic Empress / Aegean Captain Trinidad and Tobago
June 3, 1979. Ixtoc I, Gulf of Mexico
January 8, 1979. Betelgeuse Bantry Bay, Ireland

1978
March 16, 1978. Amoco Cadiz Brittany, France

1977
April 22, 1977. Ekofisk, North Sea
February 26, 1977. Hawaiian Patriot, off Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

1976
December 15, 1976. Argo Merchant, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, USA
June 23, 1976. NEPCO 140 oil spill Saint Lawrence River, USA
May 12, 1976. Urquiola A Coruña, Spain

1975
January 31, 1975. Corinthos, Delaware River, Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, USA
January 29, 1975. Jakob Maersk Oporto, Portugal

1974
August 9, 1974. Metula Strait of Magellan, Chile

1972
December 19, 1972. Sea Star Gulf, Oman

1970
March 20, 1970. Othello Tralhavet Bay, Sweden

1969
January 28, 1969. Santa Barbara, California, USA

1967
March 18, 1967. Torrey Canyon Isles of Scilly, UK

1958
December 30, 1958. African Queen Ocean City, Maryland, USA

1940's and 1950's
Brooklyn, Newtown Creek, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, USA. One of the world’s largest underground oil spills. At approximately 17 million gallons and 55 acres, the spill is at least 6 million gallons larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. The spill is the result of leaks in the 1940s and 1950s. ExxonMobil neglected the spill for more than two decades. In 1978, a helicopter patrol, the US Coast Guard discovered a large plume of oil flowing out of the banks of the creek. No action was taken until 1990. (Riverkeeper, http://www.riverkeeper.org/)



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