oil slicks
Tanker accident aftermath
Oil slicks are thin layers of oil floating on water, typically from spills or leaks.
The term usually describes pollution from tankers, drilling rigs, or industrial accidents: The oil slick spread for miles along the coastline.
Oil slicks create iridescent sheens on the water's surface and devastate marine ecosystems.
The phrase can describe any oily film on water, including natural seepage.
- dispersantsSubstances promoting particle separation
- sheenSoft surface luster
- petroleumNatural underground hydrocarbon liquid
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- tar sandsBitumen-saturated sediment deposits
Deepwater Horizon · Gulf Coast · pollution · rainbow · tarballs · floating · dumping · iridescence · surface · layer · sea water · hydrocarbons · boom · viscous · tanker · toxic · environmental · cleanup
- driving hazardspotholes, black ice, debris, road debris, icy roads
- iridescencesoap bubble, mother-of-pearl, nacre, opal, peacock feather
- marine pollutionchemical spills, fuel spills, industrial waste, toxic waste, marine debris
- ship pollutionengine exhaust, exhaust gases, nitrogen oxides, smokestack emissions, soot
- iridescentiridescent, opalescent, pearlescent, nacreous, prismatic
- surfacessurface, sphere, cone, torus, plane
oil slicksenvironmental restoration
Repairing degraded natural systems
ocean cleanup · pristine environment · marine sanctuaries · protected waters · ecological recovery
oil, oily, slick, oils, slicker, oiliness, oilcloth, slickness, oilskin