CTHOMAS.CASSIN@BIONET-20.BIO.NET (Richard Cassin) (04/18/89)
Posted: Sat, Apr 15, 1989 7:39 PM EDT Msg: LGIJ-3925-6238
From: T.ROYER
To: OCEAN
Subj: EXXON SPILL REPORTS 4 AND 5
14 April 1989
As you might have seen on the news, the cleanup of the shores of Prince
William Sound has begun. Meanwhile the major part of the slick is
progressing along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska though Prince William
Sound will continue to "bleed" for some time to come. The thought still
persists that when oil leaves the sound everything will be fine. However,
first reports of mousse off Kodiak Island have been received. These reports
combined with the comments by Paul Boehm in SCIENCE (7 April 1989, p. 23) to
the effect that after the 1976 Argo Merchant spill off Massachusetts, oil
was detectable in the water column for up to 5 months after the spill causes
concern for the fisheries off Kodiak. This shelf on the eastern side of
Kodiak Island is about 40 miles wide and it is here that the Alaska Coastal
Current loses it driving mechanisms of freshwater discharge and prevailing
winds. As a result, the residence time on this shelf is 1-2 months. It is
close to the spawning time for king crab, shrimp and pollock. The big
questions are what are the concentrations of toxic components from the oil
within the water column and are the sensitivities of the biological
communities. Hydrocarbon sampling of this shelf will take place over the
next two weeks and again next month, if necessary. I believe that the oil
in the water column on the eastern Kodiak shelf will eventually be entrained
into the Alaska Current and carried southwestward into the deep ocean.
15 April 1989
There are now reports of oil ashore on Kodiak Island, in Cook Inlet and
at Katmai National Park on the western shore of Shelikof Strait which bounds
Kodiak Island to the west. This is consistent with the alongshore transport
of the spill by the Alaska Coastal Current with speeds up to about 25 cm/s
(0.5 kt) this time of year. A guardedly positive report of the Alpha Helix
cruise was made by Peter McRoy (chief scientist) and other participants.
The coastal circulation is doing its job! The waters of Prince William
Sound show little evidence of the spill with the exception of a few
locations such as Snug Harbor that is filled with oil. In general, not as
much oil was found as was assumed prior to the cruise. We only see the
worst shores on the news. 44 hydrographic stations were occupied with 25
bottom grabs taken and several beaches surveyed. Chlorophyll levels
indicate that the spring bloom is underway and the usual sequence of spring
events is occurring however the rates are unknown. Only 12 oiled birds
were found which is better than the best case scenario. Spring migration
has not yet taken place. Superficially, the water column is does not show
obvious signs of the oil spill but it should be remembered that the currents
are carrying the oil out of the sound and renewing the water with inflow
through Hinchinbrook Entrance. Still, some shores are a real mess. Oiled
and nonoiled comparisons will have to be made everywhere along the coast
from Prince William Sound to beyond Kodiak Island.
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