Long-term ecosystem response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Peterson CH, Rice SD, Short JW, Esler D, Bodkin JL, Ballachey BE, Irons DB. 2003. Long-term ecosystem response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Science. 302(5653):2082-2086
The ecosystem response to teh 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 acture mortality. However, in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, unexpected persistence of toxic subsurface oil and chronic exposures, even at sublethal levels, have continued to affect wildlife. Delayed population reductions and cascades of indirect effects postponed recovery. Development of ecosystem-based toxicology is required to understand and ultimately predict chronic, delayed, and indirect long-term risks and impacts.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Peterson, C; Rice, S; Short, J; Esler, D; Bodkin, J; Ballachey, B; Irons, D
- Units
- GLBA , KEFJ , SEAN , WRST
- Keywords
- Birds, Community Ecology, Fish, Herring, Human Disturbance, Mammals, Mustelids, Oil Spills, Prince William Sound, Recovery, Salmon, Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Seabirds, Seals, watefowl