Huntington Beach, California has been undergoing a clean-up operation after a major oil spill. The effects will be long-lasting. Oil can kill surface-dwelling animals and birds by poisoning or suffocation, as well as affecting buoyancy and natural waterproofing. Contaminated food supplies mean animals may become malnourished or poisoned over time., On December 15, 1976, the tanker Argo Merchant ran aground near Nantucket Shoals in Massachusetts and broke in half several days later. The entire 7.7 million gallons of heavy fuel oil it carried spilled into the Shoals, threatening damage to the famous fishing grounds. Over the days and weeks that followed, NOAA began its first major coordinated oil spill response activity., On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the Gulf Coast, killing 11 people and injuring 17. So began an 87-day oil spill that spewed 3.19 million barrels, or nearly 134 million gallons, into the Gulf of Mexico., An oil containment system was designed, created, and installed in 2019 by Couvillion Group, LLC, a company selected and hired by the U.S. Coast Guard. While the spill remains active, the containment system captures oil as it emerges under the surface and experts continue to work on a permanent solution., [NARRATOR] That radio call was made on March 24th, 1989. An oil tanker had struck Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound. It was the beginning of one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history. This is Making Waves from NOAA's National Ocean Service. I'm Troy Kitch. In today's show, the Exxon Valdez oil spill—twenty-five , Look back at 30 years of oil spill response. August 7, 2020. Focus areas: Ocean & Coasts. Topics: oil spills..