Fate and Effects of Oil Pollutants in Extremely Cold Marine Environments.

• Main Author: Atlas,Ronald M.
• Other Authors: JET PROPULSION LAB PASADENA CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1973
• Subjects: Water Pollution and Control; (*Water pollution; Oils); (*Arctic regions; (*Oils; *Biodeterioration); Alaska; Microorganisms; *Prudhoe Bay; Valdez(Alaska); *Oil pollution; Arctic; Cape Simpson; north slope; Prudhoe Bay
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0769895; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0769895

The discovery and plans for the use of Alaska's north slope petroleum fields has raised the question of what effects any accidental spillages would have on the indigenous biological populations and what the fate of the oil itself would be. Therefore, field studies were carried out to assess the interactions of microorganisms and Prudhoe crude oil in Alaskan coastal waters. The main study site was located at Prudhoe Bay in Arctic Alaska. Some work was done at Valdez, the proposed southern terminus for the trans-Alaskan pipeline. Other experiments were conducted at Umiat and Cape Simpson where there are large natural oil seepages. (Modified author abstract) Portions of this document are not fully legible.