Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
2148140 
Technical Report 
Subtidal Monitoring: Recovery of Sediments in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Restoration Project 95285. EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill/Restoration Project Final Report 
O'Clair, CE; Short, JW; Rice, SD 
1996 
NTIS/03000200 
GRA and I 
GRA and I 
The authors sampled subtidal and low intertidal sediments at eight locations in the northern Gulf of Alaska in July 1994 to determine the geographical and bathymetric distribution of oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the subtidal region and compare oil concentrations with those in the low intertidal zone. Sediments were sampled near mean low water and at three subtidal depths in the 3-20 m range. The sediments were analyzed for hydrocarbons using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. No Exxon Valdez oil was found in sediments from 0 m at assessment sites where the greatest mean intertidal concentration of total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons excluding perlyene was observed at Hallo Bay. The greatest mean concentration of total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons excluding perylene in benthic sediments occurred at 6 m at Windy Bay. Petroleum hydrocarbons at the 20 m depth were chiefly (47% of all 20-m assessment samples) from the 'Katalla' source.