Subtidal distribution of Exxon Valdez oil in two bays in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Conference
·
OSTI ID:442899
- Bowdoin Coll., Brunswick, ME (United States)
- Arthur D. Little Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Exxon Production Research Co., Houston, TX (United States)
This 1991 study assessed the subtidal fate of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 2 bays. A subtidal stratified random sampling design compared stations in the oiled Bay of Isles with stations in the reference Drier Bay. Thirty-five random sampling stations over 3 depth zones in each of the oiled and reference bays enabled generalization of the results. 12 non-randomly chosen stations were also sampled in the two bays. Sediment samples were analyzed for saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons, grain size and organic carbon. The statistical comparisons between the oiled and reference bays were based on PAH analyses. Four types of PAH were identified in the two bays; Alaska North Slope (ANS) petrogenic spill PAH; seep-derived natural petrogenic background PAH; pyrogenic PAH; and diagenetic PAH (perylene). The Bay of Isles sediments contained significantly higher levels of weathered ANS-PAH than Drier Bay. These levels were generally small compared with those of the petrogenic background PAH naturally present. The concentration of the natural petrogenic PAH component increased with increasing depth zone for each bay. Drier Bay, a location of past cannery and mining activity, had significantly greater levels of pyrogenic PAH than the Bay of Isles. All sediment PAH concentrations were well below the 4,000 ng/g total PAH concentration reported in the literature as a sublethal toxicity threshold value in sediments. The highest sediment ANSPAH concentration (201 ng/g) was 20 times lower than this value.
- OSTI ID:
- 442899
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961149--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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