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Using Oil Spill Dispersants on the Sea (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: Case Studies
Pages 317-321

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From page 317...
... and undispersed oil. Nevertheless, at least two studies following major spills focused on waters where of} was dispersed: the Main Pass Block 41 Platform C and Stop ~ spills in the Gulf of Mexico.
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From page 318...
... The surfact~nts were in aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, which are fairly effective in dispersing oil, but are highly toxic to marine and shore organisms when sprayed in high concentrations directly on beaches. Biological surveys showed that heavy excessive mortalities resulted where these early formulations were used in large quantities.
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From page 319...
... The numbers of species and individuals organisms showed lower values in some samples near the platform. However, seasonal variations, bottom sediment type, and other environmental parameters, including Mississippi River discharges, made it impossible to determine whether these locations had been affected by the spilled oil.
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From page 320...
... Field evaluation by the Gulf Universities Research Consortium (Lipton and Koons, 1983) indicated that dispersant "effectively dispersed the [xtoc ~ crude from the surface into the upper 3 m of the water column." Limited biological studies during and following the spin did not reveal adverse effects.
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From page 321...
... On the other hand, winds up to Beaufort force 4 were present and much of the effective dispersal may have been due to wind turbulence. PUERTO RICAN, 1984 In 1984, after an explosion and fire, the tanker Puerto Rican broke in two, spilling 25,000 to 35,000 bb} of refined petroleum products, mostly lubricating ails, in the Point Reyes-FaraDon Tsland Marine Sanctuary, 25 mi west of San Francisco Bay.
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Key Terms

  • main pass
  • mississippi river
  • puerto rican
  • torrey canyon
  • contingency plan

  • southern gulf
  • field evaluation
  • trawl samples
  • biological studies
  • blue crabs

  • marine mammals
  • remove visible
  • yucatan shoreline
  • limited biological
  • california contingency

  • major spills
  • metric tons
  • percent basic
  • dispersion estimates
  • intelligence report

  • shorelines successfully
  • highly toxic
  • river delta
  • fish species
  • plan required

  • spill intelligence
  • conditions prevented
  • spin resulting
  • useful data
  • dispersant dose


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