Interactions between marine bacteria and dissolved-phase and beached hydrocarbons after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) concentrations in mussels (Mytilus trossulus) increase abruptly during spring in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. This increase is mainly due to ingestion by mussels of pristane-laden feces produced by near-shore zooplanktivores, especially juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Examination of the trophic and temporal distribution of prista...

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

This project investigated population status, habitat use and trophic interactions of harbor seals in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. Aerial counts to monitor population trend indicated a 3.3% annual decline during 1990-1999. Counts were 20% lower in 1999 than in 1990, and >50% lower than in 1988. We sampled 390 seals during 1992-2000 and satellite-tagged 47 non-pups and 27 pups. Most tagged...

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Plan

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Restoration Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus Marmoratus Marmoratus

M arbled murrelets, Brachyramphus marmoratus marmoratus, are small seabirds of the Alcid Family. Alcids are diving seabirds inhabiting the north Pacific and include murres, puffins, auklets, murrelets, and guillemots. Marbled murrelets occur in nearshore marine environments from California to Alaska, nesting primarily in old-growth forests. A larger subspecies, B. m. perdix, is found along the ...

Long-term ecosystem response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The ecosystem response to the 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound, Alaska, shows that current practices for assessing ecological risks of oil in the oceans and, by extension, other toxic sources should be changed. Previously, it was assumed that impacts to populations derive almost exclusively from acute mortality. However, in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, unexpec...