Oil Spill Wipes Sunshine from Coast of Australia

Australia has been getting a beating the past few months. Aside from the fires that ravaged the country in the south and flooding in the north that cut off towns for weeks, authorities just announced on Friday that some of the Sunshine Coast’s most diverse and popular natural areas are in a state of disaster. A ship registered in Hong Kong and belonging to the British firm Swire Shipping, the Pacific Adventurer, is the cause: On Wednesday it lost 31 shipping containers and suffered a leak from a tank that can hold 100,000 gallons of fuel.

It’s not known how much oil has ended up in the ocean, but it has been enough to spread to 40 miles of coastline in Queensland. The damage isn’t just a blow to the natural environment; some of the oil spills are near peak tourist destinations on a coast known for its perpetual “spring break” feel and gorgeous aquatic life. Resorts are located in towns not far from the spill area.

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The real damage, though, will come in cleaning up the spill. Animals such has pelicans, turtles and small birds have already been moved to a cleaning center further inland, reports the Telegraph. There’s no telling yet just how much the fishing industry will be affected, or how aquatic food chains will fare.

What I’m worried about, though, is what’s contained in those 31 containers now at the bottom of the ocean. They hold the toxic fertilizer ammonium nitrate. The problem with that is that plants and algae in the ocean really like ammonium nitrate, which is good for photosynthesis but a curse for the rest of the organisms living in the area. A lot of photosynthesis means more algae, which means algae blooms that choke the other organisms, and create a nice green, slick water that has plagued a host of countries with ocean coasts.

The government of Queensland has been criticized for a slow response to the spill, which it denies, and is threatening the shipping company with a $250 million lawsuit.

Photo: Queensland Coast, by Amanda Peterka

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