Sunday 27 February 2011

Fate and transport of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Galt, J A | Lehr, W J | Payton, D L
Environmental Science and Technology. Vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 202-209. 1991 

The floating oil distribution can be summarized as follows. Heavy amounts of floating oil were present in southwest Prince William Sound for about two weeks. Some shorelines were heavily oiled during this time. Significantly reduced amounts (by an order of magnitude) were present for another two weeks. After this time, light sheens--often caused by leaching from oiled beaches--were observed, but represented minor amounts of pollutant. An estimated 35% of the oil evaporated or dispersed into the water column in the Sound. An additional 40% affected the shoreline inside Prince William Sound. Perhaps 25% of the original spill left the Sound as floating oil. Only about 10% of the oil made it beyond Gore Point, and 2% actually got as far as Shelikof Strait.

Descriptors: Petroleum engineering | Shorelines | Spills | Leaching | Environment | Pollutants | Oil spills | Evaporation | Dispersion