By: Esther Zack @ Target Science

The disaster has occurred! An intentional release of oil into a body of water as a tactic of war has been perpetrated on the environment. The spill is heading on the currents toward a major desalination plant and threatens to destroy the water supply of a nation. Quick action is a MUST! But what defenses against this atrocity exist? In the following experiment, students will try several means to soak up or contain the spill to prevent it from reaching the shore.

National Science Content Standards:

Life Science, Standard C, K-4:

• Humans change environments in ways that can be beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives, Standard F, 5-8:

• Human activities can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.

Life Science, Standard C, 9-12:

• Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.

Major Themes from the California Science Framework:

Systems and Interactions, Patterns of Change

Concepts Within the Framework: Ecosystems--

1. Human practices can often affect the well-being of other species in the environement. (K-3)

2. . . . the destruction of natural habitats through human- caused disasters [has] contributed to the extinction of species and to the loss of their natural geographic and eco logical ranges and have threatened or destroyed ecosys tems. (3-6)

3. Pollution, which can be defined as an unnatural excess of (usually) abnormal materials in an ecosystem, is a primary human cause of local extinction. (6-9)

Materials: (for each group of 4-5 students)

Flat aluminum pan (or similar container)	Cotton balls
Length of string (11/2 -2 ft.)	Spoon
Medicine dropper	Piece of nylon stocking
Piece of cardboard	Straw (or dry grass)
Drinking straws	Plastic gloves
Piece of sponge	Detergent (small amount)
Cat litter	Small sign: "Shoreline"
Paper toweling (for tests and hand cleaning)	Plastic bags (for waste disposal)
Approx. 1/2 cup of each:
Salad oil
Motor oil

Procedure:

1. Divide class into cooperative groups and have them select: Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Materials Manager, Data Specialist, Presenter (You can vary the number of jobs according to the number of students in each group).
   
2. Have the Materials Managers gather all items needed for their group.
   
3. Explain that each group has been contracted to control or eliminate the oil spill that has just occurred in the ocean. They have several materials to work with and can choose among them. They must attempt to prevent it from reaching the "shoreline" before it destroys valuable animal habitats and water desalination plants.
   
4. Someone in the group can be the timekeeper for the process (timing each attempt at cleanup or control), or you can do the timekeeping for the whole class.
   
5. Fill the pans with water. Have students predict which method they believe will be the most successful in containing/ eliminating the oil spill. The group should pre-select which method they will begin with.
   
6. At a signal, one person pours a small amount of salad oil on the surface of the water. Others in the group attempt the cleanup for approximately 1-2 minutes. (Time will vary according to the amount of oil poured on the surface.)
   
7. Time is called, and the assessment of the cleanup takes place. The Data Specialist fills in the Data Chart with the results of the trial.
   
8. The same procedure is followed with several cleanup methods and then with the heavier type of oil. (Make sure the waste is properly disposed of).
   
9. The last two tests on the chart can be done as a follow-up to the cleanup activities. The "rough water" can be simulated by gently shaking the pan. The detergent can be dropped onto the surface of the water and its effects observed in the cleanup process.
   

Concluding Questions :

1. Which method did you find most effective in containing or eliminating the spill? Why do you think this method worked best?

2. Which method seemed least effective? Why?

3. What new method could you invent that might be more effective?

4. What are the main harms wrought by oil spills?

5. How can disasters such as oil spills be prevented from happening? (legislation, self-regulation by the oil industry, and environmental "watchdogs")

Extensions:

Social Studies:

Study the history of oil production in the world and its political implications.

Science:

Initiate a goelogical study of how oil is formed. Include in the study alternate fuels, emphasizing renewable vs. non-renewable sources of energy.

Ecology:

Visit a Wildlife Way-station and ask them how they are prepared to cope with animals caught in an oil spill.

DATA CHART: OIL SPILL CLEAN UP