Argo Merchant oil spill. A preliminary scientific report

Book · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:6017295

This report presents the available results from the investigations carried out to date by the many groups involved in the initial assessment of the distribution of the Argo Merchant oil spill and its impact. For the many federal, state, and private activities requiring information about the oil spill and its consequences the report is intended to provide a unified summary of the studies that are being or have been carried out, the types and distribution of data, and such analyses and results as are now available. The outcome of the Argo Merchant oil spill appears to have been fortunate in several respects: (1) the winds were almost continuously offshore, preventing the oil from coming on the beaches; (2) the density of the oil was low enough so that it did not sink and contaminate the bottom; and (3) the spill occurred in the winter, when biological activity, productivity, and fishing activities are relatively low. At another time, the effects of a similar oil spill might have been much more serious.

• OSTI ID: 6017295
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900 -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DENSITY
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
INDUSTRY
OIL SPILLS
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLLUTION
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
SEAS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SHIPS
SURFACE WATERS
TANKER SHIPS
VARIATIONS
WATER POLLUTION
WIND