Project Information

Title: LTM Program - Extending the Tracking of oil levels and weathering (PAH composition) in PWS through time. 12120114-S

Project Year and Number: 2012: 12120114-S

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2016: 16120114-S, 2015: 15120114-S, 2014: 14120114-S, 2013: 13120114-S

Principal Investigator (PI): Mark Carls

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: Mandy Lindeberg, Jeep Rice

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

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Clams, Harlequin Ducks, Intertidal Organisms, Mussels, Sea Otters, Sediments, Subtidal Organisms

Abstract:

Intertidal areas in western Prince William Sound were extensively coated with Exxon Valdez oil; oil still remains in many beaches, presumably with declining impacts on intertidal invertebrates such as mussels, and also predators such as sea otters and harlequin ducks. This project would revisit approximately 12 of the worst case sites to continue the long term data set that tracks oil quantity and weathering composition in the contaminated sediments, and establish long term oil monitoring sites that would be re-sampled every 5 years over the next 20 years. This project fills two needs: understanding the “dose” levels (past and present) for species such as mussels, intertidal invertebrates, sea otters, and harlequin ducks; and (2) understanding the natural degradation of quantity and composition of PAH over a long time course. Understanding exposure doses is important to injured species, and this would complement the biomarker analyses of lingering exposure on sea otters and harlequin ducks (Ballachey; Esler). Understanding oil loss over time is important for understanding full recovery of the habitat; in Alaska, this time course is apparently longer than in lower latitude environments. This study would complement and extend previous work, and would complement the remediation studies by Boufadel in 2011-12 as well as the Irvine study outside of PWS in 2011-12.


Proposal: View (109 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY12: View (2,211 KB)
Final Report: See Project 16120114-S

Publications from this Project: None Available