Habitat Assessment: Lingering Exxon Valdez Oil
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Oil in Prince William Sound |
Habitat researchers have been investigating the longterm and
lingering impacts of oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Since
2001 our studies have focused on determining how much oil remains in the beach
sediments of Prince William Sound, the distribution of that oil across habitat
types, and the annual rate at which the oil is lost. Additional questions
include the availability of that oil to intertidal life, how toxic the oil
remains, and the pathways by which birds and otters that feed in the intertidal
might be exposed. These studies have located a surprising amount of toxic oil
still present from the spill and have altered scientific thinking about the
long-term effects of oil spills.
Key Publications to this Research
Short, J.W., J.M. Maselko, M.R. Lindeberg, P.M. Harris, and S.D. Rice. In Press 2006. Vertical distribution and probability of encountering intertidal Exxon Valdez oil on shorelines of three embayments within Prince William Sound, Alaska. Environmental Science and Technology.
Short, J.W., M.R. Lindeberg, P.M. Harris, J. Maselko, J.J. Pella, and S.D. Rice. 2004. An estimate of oil persisting on beaches of Prince William Sound, 12 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Environmental Science and Technology 38:19-25.
Short, J.W. and R.A. Heintz. 1997. Identification of Exxon Valdez oil in sediments and tissues from Prince William Sound and the Northwestern Gulf of Alaska based on PAH weathering. Environmental Science and Technology 31:2375-2384.
Related Links
Search for EVOS Trustee Council Research Reports
EVOS Reopener Information
Contacts
Dr. Jeff Short
Auke Bay Laboratories
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries
Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt Lena Loop Rd
Juneau AK 99801
(907) 789-6065
Jeff.Short@noaa.gov
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