Long-Term Fate of Dispersed and Undispersed Crude Oil in Two Nearshore Test Spills

Page, David S.; Foster, Judith C.; Hotham, J.R.; Pendergast, E.; Hebert, S.; González, Luz Angélica Muñoz; Gilfillan, Edward S.; Hanson, Sherry A.; Gerber, Ray; Vallas, D.

doi:10.7901/2169-3358-1983-1-465

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…(original references include: Gilfillan et al, 1983Gilfillan et al, , 1984Gilfillan et al, , 1985Page et al, 1983Page et al, , 1984Page et al, , 1985 In 1981, Bowdoin College researchers conducted a study in Long Cove, Searsport, Maine, in which they examined the effects of dispersed and undispersed crude oil. The cove was divided into control and test areas and two small spills were simulated in this nearshore environment.…”

Section: Searsport Study -1981; Intertidal and Nearshore Subtidalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Oil and Chemically Dispersed Oil in the Environment

Boyd¹,

Scholz²,

Walker³

2001

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings

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After oil is spilled, it typically undergoes eight main fate and weathering processes, which may all occur simultaneously in different degrees: 1. Spreading and advection-When spilled, oil spreads out on the surface of the water. This increases the surface area of the oil, thus increasing the potential for exposure by all routes. 2. Evaporation-Many components of oil evaporate. This creates a vapor that can lead to inhalation of toxic compounds as they pass from the water surface to the atmosphere. 3. Dissolution-Some components of the oil will go into solution in the surrounding water. This increases the chance of exposure through direct contact, ingestion, or absorption for water column resources. 4. Natural dispersion-Oil breaks up into droplets in the water beneath the slick and may float away. As a result, water column resources can be exposed through direct contact, ingestion, and absorption. 5. Emulsification-Oil and water combine to form a mousse. Exposures can result from direct contact or ingestion. 6. Photo-oxidation-Sunlight transforms some oil components into new byproducts, which may be more toxic and water-soluble than the original components. Water surface and water column resources can be exposed to the byproducts through inhalation, direct contact, absorption, and ingestion. 7. Sedimentation and shoreline stranding-Oil washes ashore and also sinks after sticking to particles in the water. Exposure can occur through direct contact and ingestion of stranded or sunken oil. 8. Biodegradation-Oil is slowly broken down by resident bacteria into H 2 O and CO 2. Biodegradation is a slow process, with little effect on exposures. • Different resources are at varying risk of exposure to untreated oil and chemically dispersed oil. These resources are discussed in the following groups: 1. Surface-dwelling resources-This typically includes birds, marine mammals, and reptiles. These resources are at high risk of exposure to oil floating on the surface during a spill. 2. Water column (pelagic) resources-This group includes fish and plankton. They are typically at lower risk of exposure to oil during a spill. Dispersion can temporarily increase the risk of exposure to these resources.

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Section: Searsport Study -1981; Intertidal and Nearshore Subtidalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Oil and Chemically Dispersed Oil in the Environment

Boyd¹,

Scholz²,

Walker³

2001

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings

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“…Further information on field experiments that provide useful input to NEBA for dispersant use [48][49][50][51][52][53] is summarised in [54].…”

Section: Net Environmental Benefit Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Effectiveness of Oil Spill Countermeasures: How Clean is Clean?

Baker

1999

Pure and Applied Chemistry

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Introduction: In the aftermath of an oil spill, what should drive the cleanup response and when is it reasonable to stop cleaning? Further, which of the diversity of oil spill clean-up technologies as described in other chapters of this volume might be employed most effectively to achieve this elusive goal? These are complex questions involving chemical, ecological, socio-economic and political considerations and there are no simple answers. It is important to identify and build consensus for recommended clean-up protocols. These recommendations should be based on the considerable experience that has accumulated over the past 30 years. It is the intent of this paper to identify key points and issues with respect to ecological aspects, bearing in mind that these in turn commonly relate to socio-economic aspects.

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“…While other oil spill research programs had investigated the fate and weathering of oil in sediments (e.g., Boehm et al, 1981Boehm et al, , 1982aKeizer et al, 1978;Teal et al, 1978;see NAS, 1985 for other references), few have addressed the comparative fates of chemically dispersed and untreated oils (e.g., Page et al, 1983). This type of comparative assessment is essential in providing a valid scientific basis for deciding when and if it is advisable to chemically disperse oil in arctic and other nearshore 40cean Chemistry Division, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Box 6O00, 9860 W. Saanich Road, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada V8L 482 @The Arctic Institute of North America environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Fate of Chemically Dispersed and Beached Crude Oil in Subtidal Sediments of the Arctic Nearshore

Boehm¹,

Steinhauer²,

Green³

et al. 1987

ARCTIC

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A three-year investigation was conducted to examine the incorporation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) into subtidal sediments following experimental releases of oil during the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project experiments. The concentrations of PHC were determined by synchronous scanning UV/Fluorescence spectroscopy, while the composition of residual saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons was determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. A pre-spill sampling and four post-spill samplings (one day, two weeks, one year and two years after the releases) were conducted in each test bay. After the surface release and beaching of non-dispersant treated oil (Bay l l) , accumulation of PHC at levels of 1-10 pg.g-' was noted in subtidal sediments within two weeks. Concentrations steadily increased over the ensuing two years, so that two years after the release, up to 10% of the originally beached oil was present in subtidal sediments. Concentrations of up to 400 p,g.g-' were detected in the shallow offshore sediments. All oil residues in surface sediment appeared to be confined to the top 0-2 cm of the sediment column. The eroding oil from the Bay 11 beach was compositionally quite heterogeneous, with weathered, biodegraded oil, as well as relatively unweathered oil, found on the beach and in the offshore sediments. Biodegradation of oil appeared to be restricted to the beached oil, with no significant degradation apparently occurring subtidally. After two years, the offshore oil residues still contained low molecular weight alkanes as well as alkylated naphthalenes. The situation in Bay 9, where chemically dispersed oil was discharged near the bottom, was quite different. In spite of a large water column exposure, the bottom sediments never contained more than 10 p,g.g" of oil. Of this amount of oil, a significant fraction (20%) of the PHC was initially associated with the surface flocculent layer. Levels of oil in the Bay 9 sediments were on the order of 1-3 pg.g" one year after the release. Sediment PHC levels in the other less exposed bays (Bays 10 and 7) never exceeded 3 pg.g".

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Long-Term Fate of Dispersed and Undispersed Crude Oil in Two Nearshore Test Spills

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Effects of Oil and Chemically Dispersed Oil in the Environment

Effects of Oil and Chemically Dispersed Oil in the Environment

Ecological Effectiveness of Oil Spill Countermeasures: How Clean is Clean?

Comparative Fate of Chemically Dispersed and Beached Crude Oil in Subtidal Sediments of the Arctic Nearshore

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