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Title: Long-term assessment of the oil spill at Bahia Las Minas, Panama. Interim report. Volume 2: Technical report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5927931

On April 27, 1986, at least 8 million liters of medium-weight crude oil spilled from a ruptured storage tank into the Bahia Las Minas on the Caribbean Coast of Panama. Coral reefs, seagrass communities, and mangroves were affected. The area of the spill was also the location of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Galeta Laboratory where resident and visiting scientists have been studying the ecology of the Bahia Las Minas and the adjacent areas for over 15 years. Because this was a unique opportunity to assess the immediate biological effects following a major spill in the Caribbean region and to monitor the subsequent recovery, the U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service supported a 5-year environmental study. The objectives of the study are to identify any long-term changes in the marine environment that may have resulted from the spill and to understand the ecological processes causing such changes. This is the first report from the study and addresses the effects observed during the first two years of the effort.

Research Organization:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst., Balboa (Panama)
OSTI ID:
5927931
Report Number(s):
PB-92-117928/XAB; CNN: DI-14-12-0001-30393
Resource Relation:
Other Information: See also Volume 1, PB92-117910. Sponsored by Minerals Management Service, Metairie, LA. Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English