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Gulf War Oil Fires

Kuwait City, Kuwait; March 1991. An abandoned Iraqi T-55 tank sits in the middle of a lake of spilling crude oil and surrounded by burning oil fields on the outskirts of Kuwait City during the Gulf War. The oil fields were set on fire by retreating Iraqi troops hoping to create some cover from American airplanes strafing their positions. The fires and smoke caused one of the greatest environmental disasters of modern times. Nearly 800 oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army and the fires were not fully extinguished until November 6, 1991, eight months after the end of the war. The fires consumed an estimated six million barrels of oil daily. Their immediate consequence was a dramatic decrease in air quality, causing respiratory problems for many Kuwaitis. The sabotage of the oil wells also impacted the desert environment, which has a limited natural cleansing ability. Un-ignited oil from the wells formed about 300 oil lakes that contaminated around 40 million tons of sand and earth.

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Title:

Gulf War Oil Fires

Caption:

Kuwait City, Kuwait; March 1991. An abandoned Iraqi T-55 tank sits in the middle of a lake of spilling crude oil and surrounded by burning oil fields on the outskirts of Kuwait City during the Gulf War. The oil fields were set on fire by retreating Iraqi troops hoping to create some cover from American airplanes strafing their positions. The fires and smoke caused one of the greatest environmental disasters of modern times. Nearly 800 oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army and the fires were not fully extinguished until November 6, 1991, eight months after the end of the war. The fires consumed an estimated six million barrels of oil daily. Their immediate consequence was a dramatic decrease in air quality, causing respiratory problems for many Kuwaitis. The sabotage of the oil wells also impacted the desert environment, which has a limited natural cleansing ability. Un-ignited oil from the wells formed about 300 oil lakes that contaminated around 40 million tons of sand and earth.

Credit:

Album / Science Source / Wesley Bocxe

Releases:

Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:

3502 x 5292 px | 53.0 MB

Print size:

29.7 x 44.8 cm | 11.7 x 17.6 in (300 dpi)

Keywords:

155MM • AMERICAN • ARMIES ARMY • ARMIES • ARMY • BURNING OIL • CONTAMINATION • CRUDE OIL • DESERT • ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION • ENVIRONMENTAL TERRORISM • FIRE • GOLF WAR • GULF WAR • HELL • HUSSEIN • IRAQ • KUWAIT CITY • KUWAIT • LAKE • M109 • OIL • PALADIN • PERSIAN GULF • POLLUTION • POWER • ROLL • SADDAM • SHOOT • SOLDIER • T-55 • T55 • TANK • TOXIC • WAR • WELL