Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Use of acronyms
- Acknowledgments
- A bibliographic note
- Prologue
- Part I Introduction and background
- 1 Introduction and background
- 2 The phases of an oil spill and scientific studies of spill effects
- Part II Oil in the environment
- Part III Biological effects
- Part IV Assessing oil spill effects and ecological recovery
- Part V Conclusions
- Index
- References
2 - The phases of an oil spill and scientific studies of spill effects
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2013
Edited by
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Use of acronyms
- Acknowledgments
- A bibliographic note
- Prologue
- Part I Introduction and background
- 1 Introduction and background
- 2 The phases of an oil spill and scientific studies of spill effects
- Part II Oil in the environment
- Part III Biological effects
- Part IV Assessing oil spill effects and ecological recovery
- Part V Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction and overview
Following a marine oil spill, it is important to know where the oil goes, how it changes chemically, how long the oil persists in various environmental compartments such as water or sediments, and what biological resources are affected. As an oil spill progresses over time, the behavior of the oil and the impacted areas and levels of risk to people and biological resources such as fish and wildlife change. Scientific studies provide the most benefit to cleanup efforts and the protection of people and biological resources in the area when they are coordinated and focused on the most pressing questions based on the phase of the oil spill. Over several decades, previous marine oil spills have shown a consistent pattern; understanding this pattern can help predict where the oil will go, how it changes chemically, where it will persist, and what living things are likely to be affected. Similarly, this predictability, coupled with specific observations at each spill, can help to provide a framework for designing and conducting studies that can address key questions at critical junctures in the evolution of the spill.
Water and air are the first environmental media affected during the early phase of any marine spill. Animal and plant life (or “biological resources”) can be affected immediately – as can humans involved in spill cleanup. The initial exposures to the chemicals in petroleum and the resulting effects can be acute, but short-lived. This is because once the spilled oil is no longer moving on or in the water, concentrations of harmful chemicals decrease rapidly owing to dilution, dispersion, and degradation (collectively known as “weathering”). Likewise, the evaporation of the volatile hydrocarbon components of fuels or crude oil immediately following a spill first increases, then decreases. By contrast, the effects on shoreline biological resources from oil that reaches land may persist. The last area potentially to be affected is bottom sediments, where oil can be transported before or after it reaches land (Chapter 4).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Oil in the EnvironmentLegacies and Lessons of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, pp. 37 - 53Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013
References
, , and (2006). Advances in forensic techniques for petroleum hydrocarbons: The Exxon Valdez experience. In Oil Spill Environmental Forensics: Fingerprinting and Source Identification. and , eds. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Academic Press; ISBN-10: 0123695236; ISBN-13: 0123695236; pp. 449–487.Google Scholar
, , , , , , , , and (2002). Sea otter population status and the process of recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Marine Ecology Progress Series 241: 237–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , and (1997). Application of petroleum hydrocarbon chemical fingerprinting and allocation techniques after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 34(8): 599−613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , , , and (1996). Characterization of mussel beds with residual oil and the risk to foraging wildlife 4 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15(8): 1289–1303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2007). Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in the waters of Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: 1989–2005. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54(3): 339–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2007). Exposure elements in oil spill risk and natural resource damage assessments: A review. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 13(2): 418–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , and (2008). Distribution and weathering of crude oil residues on shorelines 18 years after the Exxon Valdez spill. Environmental Science & Technology 42(24): 210–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , , , and (2004). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in mussels from Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, document the return to baseline conditions. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 23(12): 2916–2929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , and (2001). Resolving the origin of the petrogenic hydrocarbon background in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Environmental Science & Technology 35(3): 471–479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , , , and (1980). Environmental chemistry: an interdisciplinary subject. Natural and pollutant organic compounds in contemporary aquatic environments. In Analytical Techniques in Environmental Chemistry: 1st International Congress Proceedings. , ed. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press; Pergamon Series on Environmental Science; ISBN-10: 0080238092; ISBN-13: 9780080238098; pp. 1–22.Google Scholar
, , , , , , , , , and (1996). Survey of Alaskan subsistence invertebrate seafoods collected in 1989–1991 to determine exposure to oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez. In Proceedings of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. , , , and , eds. Bethesda, MD, USA: American Fisheries Society; Symposium 18; ISBN-10: 0913235954; ISSN: 08922284; pp. 844–855.Google Scholar
, , , , and (2011). PAH depletion ratios document the rapid weathering and attenuation of PAHs in oil samples collected after the Deepwater Horizon. In Proceedings of the 2011 International Oil Spill Conference (Promoting the Science of Spill Response), May 24–26, 2011, Portland, Oregon, USA. Washington DC, USA: American Petroleum Institute.Google Scholar
, , , , , , and (2002). Harlequin duck population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Progress, process and constraints. Marine Ecology Progress Series 241: 271–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , and , eds (1999). Evaluating and Communicating Subsistence Seafood Safety in a Cross-Cultural Context: Lessons Learned from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Pensacola, FL, USA: Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; ISBN-13: 9781880611296.Google Scholar
, , , , and (1993). Ecological risk assessment: a scientific perspective. Journal of Hazardous Materials 35(2): 241–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1991). An overview of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Proceedings of the 1991 International Oil Spill Conference (Prevention, Behavior, Control, Cleanup), March 4–7, 1991, San Diego, California. Washington DC, USA: American Petroleum Institute Technical Publication 4529; pp. 313–319.Google Scholar
, , and (1991). Factors controlling initial deposition and long-term fate of spilled oil on gravel beaches. In Proceedings of the 1991 International Oil Spill Conference (Prevention, Behavior, Control, Cleanup), March 4–7, 1991, San Diego, California. Washington DC, USA: American Petroleum Institute Technical Publication 4529; pp. 453–460.Google Scholar
and (1991). Alaska’s response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Environmental Science & Technology 25(1): 16–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (1993). Hydrocarbons in oil residues on beaches of islands of Prince William Sound, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin 26(1): 24–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2010). Long-term persistence of oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in two-layer beaches. Nature Geoscience 3(2): 96–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1993). Persistence and weathering of Exxon Valdez oil in the intertidal zone – 3.5 years later. In Proceedings of the 1993 International Oil Spill Conference (Prevention, Preparedness, Response), March 29–April 1, 1993, Tampa, Florida. Washington DC, USA: American Petroleum Institute Publication 4580; pp. 279–286.Google Scholar
. (1979). Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Aquatic Environment: Sources, Fates, and Biological Effects. Barking, Essex, UK: Applied Science Publishers, Ltd.; ISBN-10: 0853348324.Google Scholar
, , , , , and (2006). Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from buried shoreline oil residues thirteen years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: a multispecies assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25(4): 947–961.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (1996). Estimation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in the water column based on tissue residues in mussels and salmon: an equilibrium partitioning approach. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15(12): 2240–2253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2011). Exposure of sea otters and harlequin ducks in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, to shoreline oil residues 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 30(3): 659–672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1995). Chemical and toxicological evaluation of water quality following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Fate and Effects in Alaskan Waters. , , and , eds. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Society for Testing and Materials; ASTM Special Technical Publication 1219; ISBN-10: 0803118961; pp. 141–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2000). The SCAT Manual: A Field Guide to the Documentation and Description of Oiled Shorelines (Second Edition). Edmonton, AB, Canada: Environment Canada.Google Scholar
, , and (2008). The persistence and character of stranded oil on coarse-sediment beaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56(1): 14–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , , and (1995a). Identification of hydrocarbon sources in the benthic sediments of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Fate and Effects in Alaskan Waters. , , and , eds. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Society for Testing and Materials; ASTM Special Technical Publication 1219; ISBN-10: 0803118961; pp. 41–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2008). Shoreline type and subsurface oil persistence in the Exxon Valdez spill zone of Prince William Sound, Alaska. In Proceedings of the Thirty-First Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar, June 3–5, 2008, Calgary, Alberta. Canada. Ottawa, ON, Canada: Environment Canada; pp. 545–563.Google Scholar
, , , and (1995b). Shoreline Ecology Program for Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Part I – Study design and methods. In Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Fate and Effects in Alaskan Waters. , , and , eds. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Society for Testing and Materials; ASTM Special Technical Publication 1219; ISBN-10: 0803118961; pp. 263–295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2008). Long term monitoring for oil in the Exxon Valdez spill region. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56(12): 2067–2081.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , and (2011). Fundamental reservoir engineering principles explain lenses of shoreline oil residue twenty years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Proceedings of the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Americas E&P Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental Conference, March 21–23, 2011, Houston, Texas. Houston, TX, USA: Society for Petroleum Engineers; SPE Paper 141809.Google Scholar
, , and (1997). Ephemeral data collection guidance manual, with emphasis on oil spill NRDAs. In Proceedings of the 1997 International Oil Spill Conference (Improving Environmental Protection – Progress, Challenges, Responsibilities) April 7–10, 1997, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Washington DC, USA: American Petroleum Institute Special Technical Publication 4651; pp. 1029–1030.Google Scholar
and , (1995). Use of mussels and semipermeable membrane devices to assess bioavailability of residual polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons three years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Fate and Effects in Alaskan Waters. , , and , eds. Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Society for Testing and Materials; ASTM Special Technical Publication 1219; ISBN-10: 0803118961; pp. 239–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1996). Prespill and postspill concentrations of hydrocarbons in mussels and sediments in Prince William Sound. In Proceedings of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. , , , and , eds. Bethesda, MD, USA: American Fisheries Society; Symposium 18; ISBN-10: 0913235954; ISSN: 08922284; pp. 149–166.Google Scholar
and (1996a). Chemical sampling and analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons in near-surface seawater in Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Proceedings of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. , , , and , eds. Bethesda, MD, USA: American Fisheries Society; Symposium 18; ISBN-10: 0913235954; ISSN: 08922284; pp. 17–28.Google Scholar
and (1996b). Petroleum hydrocarbons in caged mussels deployed in Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In Proceedings of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. , , , and , eds. Bethesda, MD, USA: American Fisheries Society; Symposium 18; ISBN-10: 0913235954; ISSN: 08922284; pp. 29–39.Google Scholar
, , , , , , , , and (2007). Slightly weathered Exxon Valdez oil persists in Gulf of Alaska beach sediments after 16 years. Environmental Science & Technology 41(4): 1245–1250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , , , , and (2004). Estimate of oil persisting on the beaches of Prince William Sound 12 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Environmental Science & Technology 38(1): 19–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , , , , , , , , and (1994). Fate of the oil spilled from theExxon Valdez. Environmental Science & Technology 28(13): 561A–568A.Google ScholarPubMed
, , and (2002). Managing Seafood Safety after an Oil Spill. Seattle, WA, USA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hazardous Materials Response Division, Office of Response and Restoration.Google Scholar
- 2
- Cited by