Persistence of 10-year old Exxon Valdez oil on Gulf of Alaska beaches: the importance of boulder-armoring

Marine Pollution Bulletin
G V IrvineJeffrey W Short

Abstract

Oil stranded as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill has persisted for >10 years at study sites on Gulf of Alaska shores distant from the spill's origin. These sites were contaminated by "oil mousse", which persists in these settings due to armoring of underlying sediments and their included oil beneath boulders. The boulder-armored beaches that we resampled in 1999 showed continued contamination by subsurface oil, despite their exposure to moderate to high wave energies. Significant declines in surface oil cover occurred at all study sites. In contrast, mousse has persisted under boulders in amounts similar to what was present in 1994 and probably in 1989. Especially striking is the general lack of weathering of this subsurface oil over the last decade. Oil at five of the six armored-beach sites 10 years after the spill is compositionally similar to 11-day old Exxon Valdez oil. Analysis of movements in the boulder-armor that covers the study beaches reveals that only minor shifts have occurred since 1994, suggesting that over the last five, and probably over the last 10 years, boulder-armors have remained largely unmoved at the study sites. These findings emphasize the importance of particular geomorphic parameters in deter...Continue Reading

References

Jul 27, 2001·Marine Environmental Research·M G CarlsS D Rice
Jan 27, 2004·Environmental Science & Technology·Jeffrey W ShortStanley D Rice
Feb 18, 2004·Marine Environmental Research·Mark G CarlsS D Rice

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Citations

Oct 15, 2011·Journal of Hazardous Materials·Un Hyuk YimWon Joon Shim
Nov 16, 2007·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Edward H OwensBlair Humphrey
Oct 5, 2010·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Karin L LemkauChristopher M Reddy
Oct 26, 2016·Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry·Mark G CarlsMandy Lindeberg
Jul 12, 2017·Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology·Moonkoo KimUn Hyuk Yim
Dec 4, 2019·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Scott A SocolofskyE Eric Adams
May 21, 2009·Environmental Science & Technology·Ana M BernabeuJoan Albaigés
Jun 28, 2007·Environmental Science & Technology·Jeffrey W ShortStanley D Rice

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