The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989 when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef, rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil. It is considered one of the worst human-caused environmental disasters. The oil slick eventually covered over 1,300 miles of coastline and 11,000 square miles of ocean. The spill had devastating impacts on wildlife and the environment that are still felt over 30 years later.
When did the Exxon Valdez oil spill occur?
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989 when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil.
How much oil was spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster?
Nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil were spilled into Prince William Sound from the ruptured hull of the Exxon Valdez. It is considered one of the worst oil spills in United States history in terms of environmental damage.
What were the environmental impacts of the spill?
The oil slick from the Exxon Valdez eventually covered over 1,300 miles of coastline and 11,000 square miles of ocean surface. It had severe impacts on marine and wildlife habitats. Estimates indicate 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and billions of salmon and herring eggs were killed.
How did the spill impact local communities?
The spill severely impacted the livelihoods of native Alaskan communities that relied on fishing for income and food. Many lost their source of income for the next few years until fish populations recovered. The herring population still has not returned to pre-spill numbers. Tourism also declined after images of oil-soaked coastlines were broadcast widely.
What were the contributing factors that led to this disaster?
Several factors contributed to the Exxon Valdez spill including alcohol impairment of the ship’s captain, broken radar, crew fatigue from working long hours, and faulty navigation decisions. Exxon shipping practices also came under scrutiny for having only one functioning radar and not providing enough crew support.
How much did the cleanup efforts cost?
Exxon spent over $2 billion over several years on cleanup efforts after the spill. Additional costs from fines, penalties and settlements brought the total cost to nearly $9.5 billion for Exxon. Litigation from the disaster went on for decades.
What methods were used to clean up the spill?
Cleanup methods included containment booms and skimmers to collect oil floating on the surface, pressure washing beaches, bioremediation promotion efforts, and manually wiping rocks and logs clean. In some cases heavy equipment was brought in to till oil deep into beaches to accelerate natural breakdown.
How long did the cleanup take?
Initial cleanup took over three years until 1992. But residual oil can still be found just below the surface of some shorelines today, 30+ years later. Some scientists claim full environmental recovery may not occur for over a century.
What legislation resulted from the Exxon Valdez spill?
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was passed by Congress in response to the Exxon Valdez disaster. It improved the capacity for oil spill responses under the EPA and Coast Guard. It also established a trust fund for cleanup costs paid for by a tax on oil companies.
Wildlife Impact Riddles
What types of animals were most impacted by the spill?
Seabirds, sea otters, seals, bald eagles and herring/salmon were among the most impacted species affected by widespread habitat contamination and food chain disruption after the spill. Over 250,000 seabirds died along with hundreds of sea otters and harbor seals.
Why were seabirds especially vulnerable to the spill?
Seabirds are very susceptible to oil contamination as they float on the water surface when not flying. Even small amounts of oil can penetrate feathers and result in hypothermia, drowning and ingestion during preening. Over 90 species of birds were injured by the Exxon Valdez oil.
What happened to the population of killer whales after the spill?
The AB resident pod of killer whales that frequented Prince William Sound lost 33% of its population in the year after the Exxon Valdez spill. Disruption of food sources like salmon and increased toxins are thought to have contributed to their decline.
Why did the Coast Guard use hot water to clean otters after the spill?
Hot water washing with dish detergent was used by wildlife responders to clean oiled fur of otters rescued after the Exxon Valdez spill. This removed oil while maintaining the fur’s insulating and waterproof layers so the otters’ chances of survival could be maintained in frigid Alaskan waters.
How were eagles affected differently than other animals?
While many animals suffered direct oiling effects, bald eagles largely experienced secondary impacts through contamination of food sources like fish that led to difficulty reproducing after the spill. More than 300 out of an estimated 600 eagles were killed.
Cleanup & Response Riddles
Why were high-pressure steam cleaners banned during shoreline cleaning?
High-pressure hot water systems were initially used to clean oiled beaches but biologists halted their use over concerns they could damage the delicate organisms that live in the upper layers of shore sediment, thereby causing longer disruptions to the coastal ecosystem.
What job paid over $16 per hour but was described as “the world’s worst job”?
Beach cleanup workers endured tough cold, wet, dirty conditions that also required extensive safety training to avoid health hazards. The job was taxing but financially attractive to local residents. At 1989 rates, over $16 per hour was excellent pay.
How were microbes used to fight the spilled oil?
Nutrient fertilization efforts dumped nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to promote growth of native oil-eating bacteria and accelerate the biodegradation process. While moderately effective on beaches, results were more limited on water surfaces with dispersion and dilution.
Why were men excluded from helping wash otters recovered after the spill?
Only women were allowed to wash oiled otters out of concern that residual male scents could disrupt bonding if orphaned otters were later paired with substitute mothers. All human contact was minimized too to prevent otters imprinting on people instead of their own species.
What problem did detergents cause when cleaning beaches of oil?
While effective at breaking down oil, some detergents were themselves toxic in high concentrations so rinsing had to be thorough. But washed contaminants also infiltrated fragile coastal aquifers protected by beach sediments instead of biodegrading faster in unsaturated surface layers.
Long-term Impact Riddles
What species has still not recovered to pre-spill numbers off the coast of Alaska?
Pacific herring populations crashed after the spill’s extensive contamination of spawning habitats and have still not fully rebounded nearly 30 years later. Herring fisheries remain closed in Prince William Sound and people still report much reduced numbers.
What lingering effect has surprised scientists long after the initial incident?
Remnant subsurface oil seeping up and contaminating shorelines continues to surprise scientists by its longevity. Estimates suggest up to 21,000 gallons of Exxon Valdez oil still remains particularly in sheltered bays in Prince William Sound.
How have killer whale families had to adapt their diets in the spill’s aftermath?
With keystone food sources like herring disrupted for years, killer whale pods have had to shift diets and migratory patterns significantly after the spill. Some focus more on salmon while others now travel to Southeast Alaska or British Columbia more often to hunt.
What human communities suffered culturally from severe food loss?
Native Alaskan villages relying on traditional subsistence fishing and hunting suffered profound cultural losses from the ecological damage that reduced harvests of wild foods central to livelihoods, economies and the social fabric for years after the spill.
Why can oil contamination still show up when crews dig on beaches?
While cleanup crews dug down towards the end, residual oil below 18 inches continues penetrating up through layers of coarse shore sediments. Tarballs and other forms of contamination can appear when crews excavate down past that 18 inch cleanup depth even today.
The Exxon Valdez Litigation Riddles
How long did it take to finally settle all lawsuits from the spill?
The protracted legal battle over the Exxon Valdez spill dragged through appeals for nearly 20 years before the U.S. Supreme Court capped punitive damages in 2008. But related claims continued for years including the later government water pollution lawsuit.
What ultimately happened to Captain Hazelwood after causing this disaster?
Exxon Valdez captain Joseph Hazelwood was the only crew member criminally charged for the spill but had his conviction of negligent discharge of oil overturned on appeal. He paid fines, did community service, and reportedly still feels haunted by decisions made that night.
How did Exxon disputes over settlement payments get referred to as “Exxon Valdez reruns”?
Exxon fought claims it considered suspect from fishermen and businesses for years, refusing to pay judging streams of earnings reports as potentially inflated rather than spill-related losses. Plaintiffs referred to the recurring proceedings as “Exxon Valdez reruns.”
What tactic did plaintiffs accuse Exxon lawyers of using to stall and obstruct payment efforts?
Exxon demanded extensive documentation from claimants but plaintiffs accused the company of endless cycles of denial where submitted evidence perpetually got rejected as inadequate. Fishing boat owners saw payments stall endlessly as more paperwork got demanded.
Why did a judge force Exxon to pay almost $5 billion in punitive damages in 1994?
A federal jury concluded in 1994 that Exxon had been reckless in its actions before the 1989 spill and should pay punitive damages given the extreme harm inflicted on Alaska’s environment and economy. So the judge awarded $4.9 billion on top of the $900 million actual damages.
Conclusion
Over 30 years later, reverberations from the devastating Exxon Valdez spill continue to persist in surprising ways. While remediation efforts removed substantial amounts of oil, lingering subsurface contamination still troubles Alaskan coastal ecosystems today. For communities that rely directly on wildlife and fisheries damaged badly in 1989, full cultural and economic recovery remains elusive. The spill became synonymous with regulatory failures and corporate negligence given Exxon’s reckless actions managing a hulking supertanker through delicate ocean habitats. We find ourselves still grappling with this man-made disaster decades later. Lingering impacts on herring populations surprise scientists while regional killer whales alter lifelong patterns to find alternative food sources poisoned by petroleum byproducts. Severe environmental accidents leave tangled legacies.
