Stanley D. Rice

Chapter 5 – The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

This chapter discusses the largest marine oil spill in the United States and the largest spill in a sub Arctic ecosystem; however, the damage from the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) was due as much to when and where it happened as it was to the size of the spill. The oil inundated seabird, sea otter, and harbor seal habitat just prior to their breeding seasons and that of many other vulnerable species. Oil persisted beyond a decade in surprising amounts and in toxic forms. The residual oil was sufficiently bioavailable to induce chronic biological exposures to near shore species and oil had both short-term and long-term effects on a wide variety of species, with prolonged effects on species associated with oiled sediments. The Exxon Valdez spill is the most thoroughly studied oil spill in the history. The conceptual models based on laboratory tests and previous oil spills proved inadequate for describing or predicting the outcome of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The nature confounded the tracking and observed changes over time, this spill was not burdened with the layering of other spills, industrial effluents, or urban development and sewage.

The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill

Introduction Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities, and species in coastal environments. This statement is not to imply that spilled oil has less of an effect in pelagic marine ecosystems, but rather that marine spills occurring offshore may be less likely to be detected, and associated effects are more difficult to monitor, evaluate, and quantify (Peterson et al ., 2012). As a result, we have a much greater awareness of coastal pollution, which speaks to our need to improve our capacities in understanding the ecology of the open oceans. Conservation of coastal ecosystems and assessment of risks associated with oil spills can be facilitated through a better understanding of processes leading to direct and indirect responses of species and systems to oil exposure. It is also important to recognize that oil spilled from ships represents only ~9% of the nearly 700xa0000 barrels of petroleum that enter waters of North America annually from anthropogenic sources (NRC, 2003). The immediate effects of large spills can be defined as acute, due to the obvious and dramatic effects that are observed. In contrast, the remaining 625xa0000 barrels that are released each year can be thought of as chronic non-point pollution, resulting from oil entering the coastal ocean as runoff in a more consistent but much less conspicuous rate. In this chapter, we primarily address the effects of large oil spills that occur near coastlines and consider their potential for both acute and chronic effects on coastal communities. As described below, in some instances, the effects from chronic exposure may meet or exceed the more evident acute effects from large spills. Consequently, although quantifying chronic effects from low exposure rates can be challenging and time-consuming, the results of such efforts provide insights into the understudied effects of chronic non-point oil pollution.

Effect of temperature on uptake and metabolism of toluene and naphthalene by Dolly Varden Char, Salvelinus malma

1. Tissue concentrations and metabolism of [14C]toluene and [14C]naphthalene were measured in Dolly Varden char at exposure temperatures of 4 and 12°C after oral administration of the hydrocrbons. n n2. Tissue concentrations of toluene and toluene metabolites were slightly less at 12 than 4°C. n n3. Metabolism of toluene was significantly greater at 12 than 4°C. n n4. Tissue concentrations of naphthalene and naphthalene metabolites were less at 12 than 4°C after 48 hr exposure. n n5. Naphthalene metabolism was not consistently different between fish exposed at 4 and 12°C. n n6. Failure to adequately metabolize toluene at reduced temperatures appears to contribute to the increased sensitivity of fish to toluene when exposed at low temperatures. n n7. Lack of temperature effect on naphthalene metabolism correlates with lack of temperature-induced changes in the toxicity of naphthalene to fish.

DISSOLVED- AND PARTICULATE-PHASE HYDROCARBONS IN INTERSTITIAL WATER FROM PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND INTERTIDAL BEACHES CONTAINING BURIED OIL THIRTEEN YEARS AFTER THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

ABSTRACT Buried oil residues in selected beaches that were heavily contaminated by the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) continue to leach oil-contaminated suspended particulate material (SPM) and dissolved-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) into interstitial- and near-shore waters. Both are bioavailable forms of hydrocarbons that can be absorbed or consumed. On selected intertidal beaches in Prince William Sound (PWS) during June 2002, nearshore- and interstitial-water samples were collected during outgoing tides, first from a water depth of 10–15 cm above undisturbed sediments at waters edge and then from pits dug just above the waterline. At the time of collection, all samples were vacuum-filtered through 0.7-µm pore-size, glass-fiber filters using a Portable Large Volume Water Sampling System (PLVWSS) to separate dissolved- and oil-contaminated SPM fractions for detailed hydrocarbon analyses and fingerprinting. From intertidal pits at oil-impacted sites, interstitial water and SPM displaye...

Long-Term Biological Damage: What is Known, and How Should that Influence Decisions on Response, Assessment, and Restoration?

ABSTRACT Immediate damage from an oil spill is usually obvious (oiled birds, oiled shoreline), but long-term damage to either fauna or habitat is more subtle, difficult to measure, difficult to evaluate, and hence often controversial. The question is, are too many of response decisions such as dispersant use or shoreline cleanup based on short-term acute toxicity models? Have long-term damage scenarios been discounted because of the inherent difficulty in deriving definitive answers? Experience with the Exxon Valdez oil spill is shedding new light on the potential for long-term damage. Government-funded studies demonstrated that oil persists in certain habitats for extended periods of time, such as the intertidal reaches of salmon streams, in soft sediments underlying mussel beds, and on cobble beaches armored with large boulders. Observation of long-term persistence of oil in some habitats is not new, but an increasing number of studies indicate that fauna may be chronically and significantly exposed to ...

The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill: Chapter 11

Introduction Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities, and species in coastal environments. This statement is not to imply that spilled oil has less of an effect in pelagic marine ecosystems, but rather that marine spills occurring offshore may be less likely to be detected, and associated effects are more difficult to monitor, evaluate, and quantify (Peterson et al ., 2012). As a result, we have a much greater awareness of coastal pollution, which speaks to our need to improve our capacities in understanding the ecology of the open oceans. Conservation of coastal ecosystems and assessment of risks associated with oil spills can be facilitated through a better understanding of processes leading to direct and indirect responses of species and systems to oil exposure. It is also important to recognize that oil spilled from ships represents only ~9% of the nearly 700xa0000 barrels of petroleum that enter waters of North America annually from anthropogenic sources (NRC, 2003). The immediate effects of large spills can be defined as acute, due to the obvious and dramatic effects that are observed. In contrast, the remaining 625xa0000 barrels that are released each year can be thought of as chronic non-point pollution, resulting from oil entering the coastal ocean as runoff in a more consistent but much less conspicuous rate. In this chapter, we primarily address the effects of large oil spills that occur near coastlines and consider their potential for both acute and chronic effects on coastal communities. As described below, in some instances, the effects from chronic exposure may meet or exceed the more evident acute effects from large spills. Consequently, although quantifying chronic effects from low exposure rates can be challenging and time-consuming, the results of such efforts provide insights into the understudied effects of chronic non-point oil pollution.

Coastal Conservation: The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill

Introduction Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities, and species in coastal environments. This statement is not to imply that spilled oil has less of an effect in pelagic marine ecosystems, but rather that marine spills occurring offshore may be less likely to be detected, and associated effects are more difficult to monitor, evaluate, and quantify (Peterson et al ., 2012). As a result, we have a much greater awareness of coastal pollution, which speaks to our need to improve our capacities in understanding the ecology of the open oceans. Conservation of coastal ecosystems and assessment of risks associated with oil spills can be facilitated through a better understanding of processes leading to direct and indirect responses of species and systems to oil exposure. It is also important to recognize that oil spilled from ships represents only ~9% of the nearly 700xa0000 barrels of petroleum that enter waters of North America annually from anthropogenic sources (NRC, 2003). The immediate effects of large spills can be defined as acute, due to the obvious and dramatic effects that are observed. In contrast, the remaining 625xa0000 barrels that are released each year can be thought of as chronic non-point pollution, resulting from oil entering the coastal ocean as runoff in a more consistent but much less conspicuous rate. In this chapter, we primarily address the effects of large oil spills that occur near coastlines and consider their potential for both acute and chronic effects on coastal communities. As described below, in some instances, the effects from chronic exposure may meet or exceed the more evident acute effects from large spills. Consequently, although quantifying chronic effects from low exposure rates can be challenging and time-consuming, the results of such efforts provide insights into the understudied effects of chronic non-point oil pollution.

Effect of pre-treatment exposures of toluene or naphthalene on the tolerance of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and kelp shrimp (Eualis suckleyi)

Abstract 1. Toluene pre-treatment exposures did not affect survival of kelp shrimp or pink salmon fry in subsequent bioassays. 2. Naphthalene pre-treatment exposures to kelp shrimp caused increased sensitivity in subsequent bioassays. 3. Naphthalene pre-treatment exposures to pink salmon caused increase in tolerance in subsequent bioassays. Tolerance increase was proportional to concentration and duration of pre-treatment exposures, and decreased with periods of depuration.