The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill occurred on march 24^th, 1989 .  The ship was transporting 53 million gallons of crude oil from the Valdez oil terminal in Alaska to California. It was one of the largest and most devastating oil spills in history. The tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef. Because of the remote location of the spill, efforts to help were delayed causing 10.9 million gallons of unrefined crude oil to spill into Prince William Sound. There were a couple different methods used to clean this devastating spill. One of which is called bioremediation. This method uses oil eating bacteria to rid the environment from particularly harmful contaminants. Nitrate and/or sulfate fertilizers are also used in this technique.  Although much of the oil was cleaned, many marine animals were harmed by the spill.

Gulf War Oil Spill

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The Gulf War Oil Spill is known as the worst oil spill in history. It occurred on January 21, 1991 when the alliance forces of the U.S. started an air campaign against Iraq. The Iraqi military forces in Kuwait opened oil valves and spilled about 240 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf as an act of environmental warfare. This polluted the sea with an enormous quantity of crude oil. The oil reached a maximum size of 100 by 40 miles and was 4 inches thick.