Project Information

Title: Long-term Monitoring of Lingering Oil in Prince William Sound 23200114-P

Project Year and Number: 2023: 23200114-P

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2024: 24200114-P , 2022: 22200114-P , 2021: 21200114-P, 2020: 20200114-P

Principal Investigator (PI): Dan Esler (USGS), Mandy Lindeberg (NOAA Fisheries)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://gulfwatchalaska.org/monitoring/lingering-oil/lingering-oil-weathering-and-tracking/

Research Location:

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract:

Of the nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil released during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), a small proportion is thought to remain sequestered within sediments of beaches with distinct characteristics throughout the spill area. This lingering oil, as it is known, has been a source of concern for federal and state governments and the public for more than 30 years. Significant efforts have been applied by the EVOS Trustee Council (EVOSTC) to document the extent of this issue, determine effects of lingering oil on natural resources, and identify potential mitigation or restoration options and their pros and cons. The most recent studies have indicated that the sequestered oil is not declining significantly in volume or occurrence, nor is it weathering quickly. Lingering oil also does not appear to be bioavailable, as indicators of exposure of living resources to hydrocarbons are at background levels in areas where oil persists. However, it remains important to monitor the locations and status of lingering oil both for improved scientific understanding of the timeline of persistence of spilled oil, as well as to determine potential for detrimental effects in the event lingering oil is disturbed. The EVOSTC has indicated their commitment to continuing lingering oil monitoring and requested a plan to continue to document the occurrence and condition of lingering EVOS oil. This project proposes a low-cost presence/absence approach to intermittent monitoring, along with chemical analyses in FY25, that can be combined with previous EVOSTC-funded modeling efforts to provide managers with contemporary data on the status of lingering oil.

This project was approved for the FY22-FY26 funding cycle.


Proposal: View (1,983 KB)

Reports:
FY23 Annual Report: View (196 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available

Resolutions: