On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in northern Prince William Sound, spilling 42 million liters of crude oil and contaminating 1,990 kilometers of shoreline. Some 2,000 sea otters, 302 harbor seals and about 250,000 seabirds died in the days immediately following the spill. Now researchers writing in the journal Science caution that more than a decade later, a significant amount of oil still persists and the long-term impacts of oil spills may be more devastating than previously thought.

Charles H. Peterson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues compiled and analyzed the findings of dozens of previous studies. The results, Peterson says, "showed that oil has persisted in surprisingly large quantities for years after the Exxon Valdez spill in subsurface reservoirs under coarse intertidal sediments. This oil was sequestered in conditions where weathering by wave action, light and bacteria was inhibited, and toxicity remained for a decade or more." Exposure to this oil, in turn, caused additional animal deaths. Salmon, for example, had increased mortality for four years after the spill because incubating eggs had come into contact with it. Larger marine mammals and ducks, meanwhile, suffered ill effects because their prey was contaminated. The team estimates that shoreline habitats such as mussel beds affected by the spill will take up to 30 years to recover fully.

The findings should inform the development of better ways to assess the ecological risks of large-scale oil spills, the scientists say. In addition, the work applies to other areas of environmental remediation. "Recognition that chronic exposures of fish eggs to oil concentrations as low as a few parts per billion lead indirectly to higher mortality shows the critical need to better control stormwater runoff of petroleum hydrocarbons and other toxins," Peterson remarks. "In a developed country like the U.S., an amount of petroleum equal to the Exxon Valdez oil spill is spilled annually for every 50 million people."

7 Comments

1. 1. pamala 09:03 PM 11/25/09

   wow this is amazing of what only one oil spill can do . i am sad for all those poor animals. Also i cant believe that competent man who was drunk and operating the ship. People should watch that as much as they do drunk driving because its like almost the same thing.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. pamala in reply to pamala 09:04 PM 11/25/09

   i agree on that note!!!! pam

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. pamala 09:05 PM 11/25/09

   i am not crazy no im not im not writing comments that are only from me!!! pam

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. bunniegirlbabe 01:44 PM 12/10/09

   i am doing a test on monday the 14 and i am stuck i need loads of effects and causes and solitions and eveimatiol stuff lol now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

5. 5. bunniegirlbabe 01:45 PM 12/10/09

   i am having a tast on monday the 14 and i neeed effects and casue and solition help me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

6. 6. annphilip 07:58 AM 6/11/10

   Planetresource.net has a Eco friendly solution to clean up the tragedy British Petroleum has created, please watch the video animation:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60bdQQQ3iVw and pass this along to as many people as you know.
   
   One person can still make a difference in this world, is that simple interactions have a rippling effect. Each time this gets pass along, the hope in cleaning our planet is passed on.
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

7. 7. jbrosk3 07:26 AM 7/29/10

   The last comment in the article was the only one I would never have guessed my self; that per 5o million in poputation, per year, we spill the same amount of oil as was spilled by Exxon. Mind boggling!

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this