Slightly Weathered Exxon Valdez Oil Persists in Gulf of Alaska Beach Sediments after 16 Years

Short, Jeffrey W.; Irvine, Gail V.; Mann, Daniel H.; Maselko, Jacek; Pella, Jerome J.; Lindeberg, Mandy R.; Payne, James R.; Driskell, William B.; Rice, Stanley D.

doi:10.1021/es0620033

Cited by 129 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…1), which was oiled in 1989, was the site of pre-spill collections, and carcass collections were continued there through 2013. Beginning in 1996, in addition to Green Island collections, carcasses were collected from shorelines throughout WPWS that received heavy oiling in 1989, including areas where residual oil was found through at least 2008 (Short and others, 2004(Short and others, , 2006(Short and others, , 2007U.S. Geological Survey, unpub.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2001, others (2004, 2006) documented unexpected amounts (>55,000 kg) of Exxon Valdez oil remaining in intertidal habitats in WPWS, and estimated that subsurface oil might persist at some sites for several decades (Short and others, 2007). Studies of mussels and clams, both common prey items of sea otters foraging in intertidal habitats, indicated that lingering oil was bioavailable as late as 2002 (Fukuyama and others, 2000;Thomas and others, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Ballachey¹,

Monson²,

Esslinger³

et al. 2014

Open-File Report

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For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Suggested citation: Ballachey, B.E., Monson, D.H., Esslinger, G.G., Kloecker, K., Bodkin, J., Bowen, L., and Miles, A.K., 2014, 2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014-1030, 40 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141030. ISSN 2331ISSN -1258 Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Executive SummaryOn March 24, 1989, the tanker vessel Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling an estimated 42 million liters of Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Oil spread in a southwesterly direction and was deposited on shores and waters in western Prince William Sound (WPWS). The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) was one of more than 20 nearshore species considered to have been injured by the spill. Since 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey has led a research program to evaluate effects of the spill on sea otters and assess progress toward recovery, as defined by demographic and biochemical indicators. Here, we provide an update on the status of sea otter populations in WPWS, presenting findings through 2013. To assess recovery based on demographic indicators, we used aerial surveys to estimate abundance and annual collections of sea otter carcasses to evaluate patterns in ages-at-death. To assess recovery based on biochemical indicators, we quantified transcription rates for a suite of genes selected as potential indicators of oil exposure in sea otters based on laboratory studies of a related species, the mink (Mustela vison). In our most recent assessment of sea otter recovery, which incorporated results from a subset of studies through 2009, we concluded that recovery of sea otters in WPWS was underway. This conclusion was based on increasing abundance throughout WPWS, including increasing numbers at northern Knight Island, an area that was heavily oiled in 1989 and where the local sea otter population had previously shown protracted injury and lack of recovery. However, we did not conclude that the WPWS sea otter population had fully recovered, due to indications of continuing reduced survival and exposure to lingering oil in sea otters at Knight Island, at least through 2009. Based on data available through 2013, we now conclude that the status of sea otters-at all spatial scales within WPWS-is consistent with the designation of recovery fro...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Ballachey¹,

Monson²,

Esslinger³

et al. 2014

Open-File Report

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“…For example, during post-spill damage assessment studies, the Knight Island complex (Fig. 1) was chosen as a study site because it received heavy oiling in 1989, and the area continued to hold considerable amounts of oil on scattered beaches 20 years after the spill (Short et al 2007). Acute sea otter mortality at the time of the spill approached 90% in this area (Bodkin et al 1993), and sea otter numbers remained reduced through at least 2005 (Supplement; Bodkin et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could residual oil from theExxon Valdezspill create a long-term population “sink” for sea otters in Alaska?

Monson

Doak

Ballachey

et al. 2011

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. Over 20 years ago, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 42 million L of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. At the time of the spill, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) population inhabiting the spill area suffered substantial acute injuries and loss. Subsequent research has resulted in one of the best-studied species responses to an oil spill in history. However, the question remains: Is the spill still influencing the Prince William Sound sea otter population? Here we fit time-varying population models to data for the sea otter population of western Prince William Sound to quantify the duration and extent of mortality effects from the spill. We hypothesize that the patchy nature of residual oil left in the environment has created a source-sink population dynamic. We fit models using the age distributions of both living and dying animals and estimates of sea otter population size to predict the number of sea otters in the hypothesized sink population and the number lost to this sink due to chronic exposure to residual oil. Our results suggest that the sink population has remained at just over 900 individuals (95% CI: 606-960) between 1990 and 2009, during which time prime-age survival remained 2-6% below pre-spill levels. This reduced survival led to chronic losses of ;900 animals over the past two decades, which is similar in magnitude to the number of sea otter deaths documented in western Prince William Sound during the acute phase of the spill. However, the unaffected source population appears to be counterbalancing these losses, with the model indicating that the sea otter population increased from ;2150 individuals in 1990 to nearly 3000 in 2009. The most optimistic interpretation of our results suggests that mortality effects dissipated between 2005 and 2007. Our results suggest that residual oil can affect wildlife populations on time scales much longer than previously believed and that cumulative chronic effects can be as significant as acute effects. Further, source-sink population dynamics can explain the slow recovery observed in the spill-affected western Prince William Sound sea otter population and are consistent with available data.

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“…On sunny days, turbulent seas and in warm water, photo-oxidation will enhance evaporation and reduce the impact of the WAFs but persistence of the slick, continuously releasing the PAHs, will continue to pose a hazard to aquatic animals especially in subtidal areas (Lee & Page, 1997;Rice et al, 2001;Jewett et al, 2002;Peterson et al, 2003). However, in frigid subarctic waters, decomposition of PAHs will likely progress more slowly than in warmer conditions and, consequently, persist for longer periods as noted following the spill from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska (Jewett et al, 2002;Rice et al, 2007;Short et al, 2007). Oil spilled in the Gulf of Alaska in 1989 still persists after many years in an unweathered state in mussel (Mytilus edulis) beds and in sediment trapped in semi-enclosed bays (Peterson et al, 2003;Rice et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Sexual Maturity of Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua, following Chronic Exposure

Khan¹

2012

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Mature Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, were exposed in an ambient flow-through sea water system to low concentrations of water-accommodated fractions (WAFs) of a crude oil for periods of 38-92 days to ascertain its effects on sexual maturity. Some exposed groups were depurated after exposure for 4 to 287 days. Minimal mortality but a greater percentage of skin and gill lesions and a reduction in weight gained, especially in females, occurred in the WAF-exposed cod in contrast to controls in summer-autumn. The WAFs also disrupted gonadal development and delayed spawning and spermiation although the fish were fed to satiation. Sexual development was also interrupted following exposure to the WAFs and depuration afterwards. These results suggest that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water column can potentially disrupt reproduction in Atlantic cod and eventually affect inshore populations inhabiting the cold subarctic waters in Newfoundland and Labrador in event of a major oil spill from offshore wells or supertankers.

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Slightly Weathered Exxon Valdez Oil Persists in Gulf of Alaska Beach Sediments after 16 Years

Cited by 129 publications

References 25 publications

2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 <i>Exxon Valdez</i> oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska

2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 <i>Exxon Valdez</i> oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Could residual oil from theExxon Valdezspill create a long-term population “sink” for sea otters in Alaska?

Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Sexual Maturity of Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua, following Chronic Exposure

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