The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska
This study was conducted to determine the short- and long-term physical, chemical and biological effects of spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on permafrost terrain near Fairbanks, Alaska. Two experimental oil spills, one in winter and one in summer, of 7570 liters (2000 gallons) were made at a for...
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ftdtic:ADA095491 2023-05-15T16:37:28+02:00 The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska Johnson,Larry A Collins,Charles M Sparrow,Elena B Jenkins,Thomas F Davenport,Charlotte V COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH 1980-12 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA095491 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA095491 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA095491 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE DTIC AND NTIS Microbiology Soil Mechanics Snow Ice and Permafrost Fuels *OIL SPILLS ALASKA FIELD TESTS SOILS SEASONAL VARIATIONS WINTER VEGETATION SUMMER FORESTS MICROORGANISMS PERMAFROST CRUDE OIL SUBARCTIC REGIONS Text 1980 ftdtic 2016-02-20T19:28:19Z This study was conducted to determine the short- and long-term physical, chemical and biological effects of spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on permafrost terrain near Fairbanks, Alaska. Two experimental oil spills, one in winter and one in summer, of 7570 liters (2000 gallons) were made at a forest site. The winter-spill oil moved within the surface moss layer beneath the snow. The summer-spill oil moved primarily below the moss in the organic soil. The oil moved faster and further downslope in the summer spill. Oil in the winter spill stopped during the first day but remobilized and flowed further downslope in the spring. The total area affected by the summer spill was nearly one and one-half times as large as that affected by the winter spill. The initial heat of the spilled oil had little measurable thermal effect on the soil. However, thaw depth significantly increased following two full thaw seasons. The greatest increases occurred beneath oil blackened surfaces. Evaporation of volatile components is the most significant weathering process in the first two years. Volatiles evaporated faster from surface oil than from oil carried deeper into the soil profile. Microbial degradation has not been observed. The indigenous soil microbial populations responded differently to winter and summer oil applications, ranging from inhibition to stimulation, with stimulation appearing to predominate. Vegetation showed both immediate and long-term damage. Damage was greatest near the top of the slope and in areas with surface oil. Deciduous species showed damage faster than evergreen species. (Author) Text Ice permafrost Prudhoe Bay Subarctic Alaska Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database Fairbanks |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
op_collection_id |
ftdtic |
language |
English |
topic |
Microbiology Soil Mechanics Snow Ice and Permafrost Fuels *OIL SPILLS ALASKA FIELD TESTS SOILS SEASONAL VARIATIONS WINTER VEGETATION SUMMER FORESTS MICROORGANISMS PERMAFROST CRUDE OIL SUBARCTIC REGIONS |
spellingShingle |
Microbiology Soil Mechanics Snow Ice and Permafrost Fuels *OIL SPILLS ALASKA FIELD TESTS SOILS SEASONAL VARIATIONS WINTER VEGETATION SUMMER FORESTS MICROORGANISMS PERMAFROST CRUDE OIL SUBARCTIC REGIONS Johnson,Larry A Collins,Charles M Sparrow,Elena B Jenkins,Thomas F Davenport,Charlotte V The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
topic_facet |
Microbiology Soil Mechanics Snow Ice and Permafrost Fuels *OIL SPILLS ALASKA FIELD TESTS SOILS SEASONAL VARIATIONS WINTER VEGETATION SUMMER FORESTS MICROORGANISMS PERMAFROST CRUDE OIL SUBARCTIC REGIONS |
description |
This study was conducted to determine the short- and long-term physical, chemical and biological effects of spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on permafrost terrain near Fairbanks, Alaska. Two experimental oil spills, one in winter and one in summer, of 7570 liters (2000 gallons) were made at a forest site. The winter-spill oil moved within the surface moss layer beneath the snow. The summer-spill oil moved primarily below the moss in the organic soil. The oil moved faster and further downslope in the summer spill. Oil in the winter spill stopped during the first day but remobilized and flowed further downslope in the spring. The total area affected by the summer spill was nearly one and one-half times as large as that affected by the winter spill. The initial heat of the spilled oil had little measurable thermal effect on the soil. However, thaw depth significantly increased following two full thaw seasons. The greatest increases occurred beneath oil blackened surfaces. Evaporation of volatile components is the most significant weathering process in the first two years. Volatiles evaporated faster from surface oil than from oil carried deeper into the soil profile. Microbial degradation has not been observed. The indigenous soil microbial populations responded differently to winter and summer oil applications, ranging from inhibition to stimulation, with stimulation appearing to predominate. Vegetation showed both immediate and long-term damage. Damage was greatest near the top of the slope and in areas with surface oil. Deciduous species showed damage faster than evergreen species. (Author) |
author2 |
COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH |
format |
Text |
author |
Johnson,Larry A Collins,Charles M Sparrow,Elena B Jenkins,Thomas F Davenport,Charlotte V |
author_facet |
Johnson,Larry A Collins,Charles M Sparrow,Elena B Jenkins,Thomas F Davenport,Charlotte V |
author_sort |
Johnson,Larry A |
title |
The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
title_short |
The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
title_full |
The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
title_fullStr |
The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Fate and Effects of Crude Oil Spilled on Subarctic Permafrost Terrain in Interior Alaska |
title_sort |
fate and effects of crude oil spilled on subarctic permafrost terrain in interior alaska |
publishDate |
1980 |
url |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA095491 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA095491 |
geographic |
Fairbanks |
geographic_facet |
Fairbanks |
genre |
Ice permafrost Prudhoe Bay Subarctic Alaska |
genre_facet |
Ice permafrost Prudhoe Bay Subarctic Alaska |
op_source |
DTIC AND NTIS |
op_relation |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA095491 |
op_rights |
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
_version_ |
1766027758740176896 |