The day of the oil disaster in Alaska – level 2

24-03-1989

The Gulf of Alaska was a place with beautiful nature. It was home to seals, killer whales, and many fish.

Big tankers were also going through the Gulf. They were transporting oil from Alaska to Los Angeles, California. On March 24, 1989, one of these tankers hit the bottom of the sea. The tanker with a lot of oil on board started to leak.

An area of 21 thousand square kilometers was affected. The oil covered the bodies of many animals which lived in the Gulf.

Ecologists came to the disaster area and tried to help the animals. They built special stations on the beaches of the Gulf and tried to clean the wild animals from oil. Unfortunately, they were able to help only a minimum of them.

TV stations all around the world showed pictures of dying animals. The pictures were horrible. The oil killed 250,000 birds, 300 seals, 20 killer whales, and millions of fish.

Difficult words: gulf (a part of sea with the land on three sides), tanker (a big ship which carries a lot of oil), oil (a dark liquid for making petrol ), leak (when oil goes from a ship through a hole), cover (to be over something), unfortunately (when something bad happens).

What environmental dangers result from improper oil disposal in the Gulf of Alaska?

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