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March 24, 2009

20 years on, the ocean still runs black

Posted by Elaisha Stokes at 10:07 AM ET

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, off the coast of Alaska. In the early morning hours of March 24th, 1989, 11 million gallons of crude oil entered the ocean when the oil tanker collided with the local ocean reef.

While Exxon Valdez ranks relatively low on the scale of largest oil spills in terms of volume, it is considered the worst human-induced environmental disaster to ever occur at sea. The leaking crude oil spread more that 700 km from the spill site, devastating the oceans ecosystem. The WWF estimates that the initial impact of the oil killed 250,000 seabirds, 4,000 sea otters, 250 bald eagles, and more than 20 orca whales. In addition, the herring fishery completely collapsed, causing local fishermen to loose upwards of US $286 million in revenue and bankrupting the Alaska Native Corporation.

To this day, the arctic ecosystem has not recovered. The oceans still run black. Environmental experts estimate that more than 21 000 gallons of oil remain in Prince William Sound. In any other environment the remaining crude would have dispersed or biodegraded by now. But Prince William Sound is a closed ecosystem. It is not subject to the pounding waves necessary to both disperse the oil and feed to local oil munching bacteria that allow for biodegradation to occur. And so the oil remains, with ample time to seep further into the shoreline, and continue to devastate the fragile ecological balance of the region.

Sadly, 20 years on, it appears the powers that be have learned nothing from the disaster. Recent plans by the United States government to sell offshore oil drilling rights in the Bering Sea, which provides half of all seafood consumed in the US, illustrates that cash is still king when it comes to ecology. The bottom line? Until we can find alternatives to fossil fuels, drilling and transport of crude oil will continue, putting our most precious resources at perpetual risk.

More entries on: Environment

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