Judith C. Foster

Identification of petroleum sources in an area impacted by the Amoco Cadiz oil spill

Samples of oiled sediment and tar were taken at locations in the area of Brittany, France known as the ‘Pink Granite Coast’. Each sample was analysed for hydrocarbons by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine the probable source of any petroleum residues present. The results show numerous recent inputs of various petroleum products including crude oils and light fuel oils at various locations. By 1985, the data indicate that the contribution from remaining weathered residues of Amoco Cadiz oil to the hydrocarbon baseline is small compared to more recent inputs of petroleum.

Use of NaK ratios in leaf tissues to determine effects of petroleum on salt exclusion in marine halophytes

Abstract The relationship between sediment hydrocarbon concentration and leaf Na K ratios has been examined in two marine halophytes, Rhizophora mangle and Spartina alterniflora. The plants examined were exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in the field. Elevated Na K ratios were observed in the leaves of both species of halophytes. The degree of elevation of the Na K ratios was related to the concentration and state of weathering of petroleum in the sediments in which the plants were growing. The mechanism of damage appears to be similar in both species. Elevated Na K ratios appear to result from damage to root membranes.

LONG-TERM FATE OF DISPERSED AND UNDISPERSED CRUDE OIL IN TWO NEARSHORE TEST SPILLS

ABSTRACT The fate and effects of two nearshore discharges of Murban crude oil at Long Cove, Searsport, Maine in August 1981 were studied following a one-year, pre-spill baseline study of the test a...

LONG-TERM WEATHERING OF AMOCO CADIZ OIL IN SOFT INTERTIDAL SEDIMENTS

ABSTRACT Samples of sediment were taken at intervals between 1979 and 1986 from soft sediment locations in the Aber Benoit, an estuary heavily impacted by the Amoco Cadiz oil spill of 1978, and from a comparable reference site outside the spill zone. Each sample was analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbons by capillary gas chromatography. The data demonstrate the progressive weathering of the Amoco Cadiz oil resulting in an assemblage of biogenic hydrocarbons similar to the reference site by 1986 at all but the most heavily impacted locations. The data indicate that any residues of weathered Amoco Cadiz oil present in 1985-86 were in the final stages of degradation.

TIDAL AREA DISPERSANT EXPERIMENT, SEARSPORT MAINE: AN OVERVIEW

ABSTRACT On August 19, 1981, two test spills of Murban crude oil were carried out in Long Cove, Searsport, Maine. One spill was chemically dispersed; the other was not. Measurements were made to make quantitative comparisons of the chemical fates and biological effects of the two spills. Hydrocarbon analyses were carried out on water samples, animal tissue samples, intertidal sediment samples, and subtidal sediment samples. Biological measurements were carried out at the community level, whole animal level, and biochemical level of organization. No significant biological effects attributable to the dispersed oil spill were observed. This lack of effects is, in part, a result of changes in the physical and chemical properties of dispersed oil which help limit its availability and toxicity. The chemical fate and biological effects of the undispersed oil spill were typical of those reported from actual oil spill sites. Oil was incorporated into sediments and animal tissue. On the community level of organizat...

Effects of Test Spills of Chemically Dispersed and Nondispersed Oil on the Activity of Aspartate Aminotransferase and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in Two Intertidal Bivalves, Mya arenaria and Mytilus edulis

In 1981, two test oil spills were made in Maine. One spill was 975 L (250 gal) of Murban crude oil; the other was 975 L of Murban crude oil premixed with 97 L (25 gal) of Corexit 9527. The uptake of the oil and its effects on enzymatic activity in two species of common intertidal bivalve mollusks, Mya arenaria and Mytilus edulis, were studied. Data were obtained on uptake and depuration of the oil for each species; data were also obtained on the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase for each species. Data were collected both before and after each of the spills. Much less oil was taken up by the populations of animals exposed to chemically dispersed oil than by those exposed to nondispersed oil. Rates of depuration were the same for each species; they were also the same regardless of oil exposure. Significant long-term effects on enzyme activity were detected only in those animals exposed to nondispersed oil.

Use of Ordination Techniques to Follow Community Succession from Oil Impact to Recovery in the Field

Abstract Much effort has been directed toward elucidating pollution effects on marine benthic communities (Pearson and Rosenberg, 1978; Sanders et al., 1980; NAS 1985). Less effort has been directed at methods of data analysis which will identify distribution patterns and relationships between communities. Traditional community structure summary parameters such as species richness and various indices of diversity utilize only part of the information contained in a data set and are not very useful in elucidating relationships between communities of animals.

Petroleum Effects on Osmoregulation in the Marine Halophytes Spartina Alterniflora and Rhizophora Mangle

Salt marshes and mangrove areas are very important in shoreline development and protection (1,2,3). These same areas are highly productive (4,5,6) and are important exporters of detritus to nearby communities (7,8). Both salt marshes and mangrove forests are important to fisheries production beyond their role as exporters of detritus (8,9).

COMPOSITIONAL CHANGES IN DISPERSED CRUDE OIL IN THE WATER COLUMN DURING A NEARSHORE TEST SPILL

ABSTRACT As part of the American Petroleum Institute sponsored tidal area dispersant project involving two test spills of Murban crude oil in Long Cove, Searsport, Maine in August, 1981, water samples were collected. This paper deals with the analytical results for the analyses of water samples collected for analysis of non-volatile hydrocarbons by: infrared spectrophotometric quantitation of total CCl4 extractables, and gravimetric analysis of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions followed by capillary gas chromatography. In the dispersant-treated oil discharge area, there were two primary water sampling locations during the discharge phase of the experiment: an upper intertidal area (maximum depth = 2 meters) and a lower intertidal area (maximum depth = 3.5 meters). The gas chromatographic data for the water samples were treated numerically to obtain parameters whose values reflect the extent of dispersed oil weathering. For the aliphatics, the peak area ratio for n C14/n C18 was calculated for e...

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING APPROPRIATE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS IN OIL SPILL IMPACT STUDIES: AN EXAMPLE FROM THE AMOCO CADIZ OIL SPILL IMPACT ZONE

ABSTRACT On March 16, 1978, the tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground off the coast of North Brittany. Her cargo of 221,000 tons of light crude oil was released into the sea. More than 126 miles of coastline were oiled, including a number of oyster (Crassostrea gigas) growing establishments. The North Brittany coastline already was stressed by earlier additions of oil and metals. In December 1979, 21 months after the oil spill, measurements of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, aspartate aminotransferase activity, and condition index were made in 14 populations of C. gigas. Five of the populations were outside the oil spill impact zone; nine populations were within it. At the same time the body burden of Cr, Ag, Pd, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Hg, as well as the body burden of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, was determined. Also at the same time, the numbers of total and fecal coliform bacteria in the ambient water were determined. Results of stepwise multiple regression have shown that 21 months after the Amo...