Exxon Valdez oil spill

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/exxon-valdez-oil-spill

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is Exxon Valdez oil spill?Approximately 1,300 miles (2,100 km)
2. What is the vessel name?Exxon Valdez
3. What is the date of incident?March 24, 1989
4. What caused the Exxon Valdez oil spill?The tanker was off its planned course, maybe to avoid icebergs, and hit Bligh Reef. The impact broke several cargo tanks, letting oil spill into the sea. The captain was not on the bridge and the radar had problems.
5. How much oil was spilled into the ocean?More than 10 million gallons of crude oil were released into the water.

Supertanker: An extremely large ship designed to transport bulk liquid cargo, such as oil.
Crude Oil: Unrefined petroleum that is extracted from the earth and processed into various fuels and products.
Ecological Impact: The effects of human activities or natural events on the environment and its living organisms.
Oil Pollution Act of 1990: U.S. federal law enacted in response to the Exxon Valdez spill, aimed at preventing future oil spills and improving cleanup.