Vol. 15 No. 143 - 155 (2024): Effects of crude oil pollution on aquatic ecosystem: A review

Crude oil, a highly hazardous chemical, is composed of up to 10,000 distinct hydrocarbons,

posing significant risks to aquatic life. This review focuses on assessing both short- and long-
term impacts of crude oil on aquatic ecosystems, including its effects on diversity, food webs,

and ecological balance. The review also highlights sources of crude oil, its composition, and
its transportation and fate within aquatic environments. Major sources of oil spills in aquatic
ecosystems stem from oil exploration, transportation, and refineries. Various factors, such
as oil weathering processes (e.g., evaporation, dissolution, emulsification, biodegradation,
sedimentation, and photooxidation), physio-chemical changes (including partitioning,
adsorption, sorption, hydrolysis, oxidation, volatilization, and emulsification), and
environmental conditions (like oxygen levels, sediment presence, water currents, salinity,
wave action, and temperature), influence the fate and transport of crude oil within aquatic
ecosystems. In Nigeria, short- and long-term impacts of crude oil spills include immediate
environmental damage, loss of livelihoods, degradation of ecosystems, disruption of food
webs, and loss of aquatic biodiversity. Remediation efforts primarily rely on physical,
chemical, and biological methods to mitigate the effects of oil spills. The damages inflicted by
crude oil on human health and ecological systems are manifold, encompassing respiratory
problems, skin irritations, cancers, neurological effects, habitat destruction, disruption of
food chains, and loss of ecosystem services. These consequences highlight the urgent need
for effective prevention, response, and remediation strategies to safeguard aquatic
environments and human well-being from the adverse effects of crude oil contamination.