Response of a salt marsh to oil spill and cleanup: biotic and erosional effects in the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey. Final report, May 1976--December 1977

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6153404

Dibner, P C

This study addresses the biological and erosional response of portions of the Hackensack Meadowlands estuarine marsh to the Wellen Oil Company number 6 crude oil spill of late May 1976, and the subsequent cleanup operations. Cleanup included cutting and removal of oiled grasses of the species Spartina alterniflora from the bank of the Hackensack River. Data were gathered from several locations along the river bank and in the inner marsh during four sampling sessions, at approximately 4 month intervals, throughout the year following the spill. The productivity of the marsh plants, the composition of marsh soil invertebrate communities, the presence of oil in the substrate, and erosional trends were monitored. Results suggest that cutting heavily oiled Spartina soon after contamination saved the plants from dying by root suffocation.

• Research Organization: URS Research Co., San Mateo, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6153404
• Report Number(s): PB-285211
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CLEANING
CONTAMINATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EROSION
GRASS
MARSHES
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
MORTALITY
NEW JERSEY
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SPILLS
PLANTS
USA