Erich R. Gundlach

Persistence of METULA oil in the strait of Magellan six and one-half years after the incident

I N T R O D U C T I O N On 9 August 1974, the supertanker M E T U L A (206 000 dwt) ran aground just west of the First Narrows in the Strait of Magellan, Chile (Fig. 1). Over the next 1.5 months, until refloating on 25 September, a total of 51 500 tons of light Arabian crude and 2000 tons of Bunker C were released. Due to the narrow constrictions of the Strait, much of the oil lost washed onto 65-80 km of adjacent shoreline (Fig. 1). Since essentially no

SHORELINE OIL TWO YEARS AFTER AMOCO CADIZ: NEW COMPLICATIONS FROM TANIO

ABSTRACT The latest in a series of joint Franco-American surveys of the Amoco Cadiz (233,000 tons; March 17, 1978) spill site was conducted during May and June 1980. The purposes of this survey were to determine remaining surface oil, buried oiled sediment, oil incorporation in interstitial water, and recovery of attached macroalgae. Oil was found to persist primarily as tar blotches and black staining along exposed rocky shores and as oil-contaminated (indicated by surface sheen), interstitial water in previously heavily oiled, sheltered tidal flats. Less commonly, oil was present as asphalted sediment and oil-coated rocks in sheltered embayments. The cleaned marsh at Ile Grande remained significantly damaged from the oil; however, both upper and lower marsh grasses showed some recovery. At another marsh, no recovery occurred in uncleaned, heavily oiled areas. On sheltered rocky shores, heavily oiled algae showed rapid recolonization by Fucus; however, Ascophyllum noaosum-dominated areas showed less reco...

TheUrquiola oil spill, La Coruña, Spain: Impact and reaction on beaches and rocky coasts

The supertankerUrquiola grounded, exploded, and burned at the entrance to La Coruña harbor (Spain) on May 12, 1976. A total of 100,000 tons of Persian Gulf crude oil was lost, of which about 30,000 tons washed onto shoreline environments. From May 17 to June 10, 1976, the impact and interaction of oil on fine-sand, coarse-sand, and gravel beaches and on sheltered and exposed rocky coasts was monitored in detail. At 32 localities, the beach was profiled, trenched, extensively sampled, and photographed. Another 67 stations were examined for surficial oil coverage and distribution. The surficial distribution of oil on the beaches was influenced primarily by wave activity, tidal stage, and oil quantity. Heaviest accumulations formed along the high-tide swash line. Within beach sediments, oil was present at distinct oiled sediment layers, which were often deeply buried. The depth of burial was related to wave energy and sediment type. Deepest burial (1 m) was on a high-energy, coarse-sand beach (Mz=0.82φ). Burial on fine-sand beaches was less than 30 cm. The thickness of oiled sediment depended on sedimentary characteristics, the quantity of oil present, wave action, and capillary forces. Oil-soaked sediment, as much as 65-cm thick, occurred on coarse-grained beaches. On fine-sand beaches, oiled sediment was limited to thicknesses of 10 cm or less. On rocky shores, oil distribution was determined primarily by wave energy. Along high-energy, cliffed, or steeply dipping rocky areas, wave reflection kept the oil approximately 5 m offshore and contamination was minimal. In low-energy, sheltered areas, oil readily accumulated, causing apparent environmental damage.

The Urquiola oil spill, La Coruña, Spain: Case history and discussion of methods of control and clean-up☆

Abstract A massive oil spill affected approximately 215 km of coastline as a result of the grounding and subsequent explosion of the supertanker Urquiola at the entrance to the harbour at La Coruna, Spain, on 12 May 1976. A total of 99–100 000 tons of Persian Gulf crude oil was lost, most of which burned, but an estimated 25–30 000 tons washed ashore. Over 2000 tons of dispersants were applied to the oil at sea. Land-based clean-up and control methods were largely inadequate to combat the spread of oil, and were ineffective at preventing large scale environmental damage.

ROLE OF DYNAMIC COASTAL PROCESSES IN THE IMPACT AND DISPERSAL OF THE AMOCO CADIZ OIL SPILL (MARCH 1978) BRITTANY, FRANCE

ABSTRACT Between 60,000 and 65,000 tons of the Amoco Cadiz oil came ashore along approximately 70 km of the shoreline of Brittany during the first few weeks of the spill (March 16–30, 1978). A prev...

OCCURRENCE OF OIL IN OFFSHORE BOTTOM SEDIMENTS AT THE AMOCO CADIZ OIL SPILL SITE

ABSTRACT A diving survey was undertaken during August 1978 to ascertain the vertical and horizontal distribution of oil incorporated into bottom sediments of the bays of Morlaix and Lannion within ...

Coastal Planning for Offshore Petroleum Development: ABSTRACT

The increased likelihood of an oil spill near exploration sites and tanker lanes along the Atlantic Coast requires detailed oil spill contingency plans to lessen the adverse effects of spilled oil. To this end, a system called the Environmental Sensitivity Index has been developed which delineates spill-sensitive shoreline environments, wildlife resources, and socioeconomic features. Coastal environments are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 on the basis of information from previous spill studies; least sensitive environments are designated as 1 and the most sensitive as 10. Oil-sensitive biologic resource information, presented with color-coded markers, shows the distribution of major, legally protected or oil-sensitive wildlife such as marine bird rookeries, anadromous fish pawning sites, marine turtle nesting beaches, and intertidal shellfish beds. Unlike the identification of coastal environments which are determined almost entirely by field observations, most wildlife resources information is taken from the literature. Sources for biologic information are published and unpublished literature, communications with state and local wildlife investigators, and federal documents such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ecological Inventory. Socioeconomic information concerns coastal facilities that would be affected by a spill--public beaches, parks, recreational areas, marinas, etc. Once these spill-sensitive areas are known, the appropriate response activity (primarily boom and skimmer deployment) is added. Although this system has been applied to most of Alaska, Puget Sound, southern California, Texas, south Florida, South Carolina, and Massachusetts, only two states (with Virginia in progress) have been mapped along the entire Atlantic Coast--not a very good record in light of the expected offshore petroleum potential in the area. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1661------------