Persistent Pollutant

By Bethany Bella
Fiery columns of smoke and flames are remnants of a memory that I carry from the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill back in 2010. I remember the devastation, the incredible loss of aquatic biodiversity, the insurmountable gallons of oil leaking unto beaches, cloaking itself in seagulls, sea otters, dolphins, and more. Its hard to forget Americas most infamous oil spill in history when youre an environmental advocate. oil rig is one of the most jarring environmental tragedies that has occurred within the past decade, another highly-catastrophic oil spill and its repercussions are still surfacing some 25 years later the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Alaskas Prince William Sound was blanketed with almost 11 million gallons of crude oil on March 24, 1989. Countless numbers of sea creatures drowned in waters thick with crude thousands of otters perished, hundreds shoreline were splattered with the spills belching excess. It was a dark day for environmental stewards across the globe. As the quarter-century anniversary dawns this spring, chemical analysts are again investigating the once-pristine oceanic habitat. Their findings are quite alarming: oil has retained a persistent presence in the Sound surroundings, clinging to rocks and boulders along the Alaskan coast for over 20 years. Surprisingly still, the oil contains almost the same chemical compounds as oil sampled 11 days after the initial spill. Even after Exxon invested billions of dollars into Valdez cleanup, why are we still finding this resource floating in the Alaskan shores of Kenai Fjords and Katmai National Parks and Preserves? Why has this particular toxin pervaded all of our eradicating efforts? According to Gail Irvine, a marine ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and lead researcher of the Gulf of Alaska study, when the oil first spilled from the tanker, it encountered seawater and formed a sludgelike mixture. This oil-soup has unique chemical qualities that allow it to resist degradation.
While this 87-day oil leakage from the Deepwater Horizon
of thousands of birds were killed, while almost 1,200 miles of
Alaskan waters shortly after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989. ing an ecosystem after years of dedicated oil-obliterating schemes. Irvine and her fellow researchers are aiming to make the public aware that freshlyspilled oil has the potential to linger in the environment long after man has deemed it clean. I can only imagine the onslaught of terrors that the BP oil is continuing to wreak on our oceans how long is this slippery substance going to remain encased in oceanic habitats, or will it ever deteriorate? Have we dumped too much into our big-blue drain to flush out all the pollutants? I sincerely hope this bleak surmise is not one of prophecy, merely one of fictional, dystopian America. If those who are environmentally passionate act now in preventing future oil spills form devastating sea waters, we can save our oceans for millions of years to come.
When oil forms into the foam, the outside is weathering, but the inside isnt. Its like mayonnaise left out on the counter. The surface will crust over, but the inside of the clump still looks like mayonnaise, Irvine said. This emulsion, with aid from crashing waves, coated rocks and boulders along the Prince William Sound after torrents of oil were deposited into the Gulf. Because the boulders on the beaches dont move great amounts each year (less than 3.3 feet in 18 years), that stability is what has allowed the oil to persist, Irvine adds. Even after the coast was steam-cleaned, the oil managed to evade all additional forms of cleanup, including cleanup Marine animals coated in the oil -Exxon aftermath.
in recent years, with upgraded technologies and methods. The oil is continuing to leak out into the ocean from its boulder-shrouded confine, although marine biologists arent too concerned yet. Irvine and colleagues collected mussels near the boulder fields, testing them for oil contamination. The analysts discovered low levels of Exxon Valdez oil in their tissues, although Irvine said, The levels are so low that it probably isnt a cause for concern for the animals. But its still there, still pollut-

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By Bethany Bella

While this 87-day oil leakage from the Deepwater Horizon

of thousands of birds were killed, while almost 1,200 miles of

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