The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska

The effects of two large experimental crude oil spills conducted in the winter and summer of 1976 in a permafrost-underlain black spruce forest of interior Alaska were assessed 15 years after the spills. Effects on permafrost, as determined from measurements of active layer thaw depths and of the to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Authors: Collins, Charles M., Racine, Charles H., Walsh, Marianne E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 1994
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341
id ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/64341
record_format openpolar
spelling ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/64341 2023-05-15T14:19:10+02:00 The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska Collins, Charles M. Racine, Charles H. Walsh, Marianne E. 1994-01-01 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341/48276 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341 ARCTIC; Vol. 47 No. 2 (1994): June: 109–205; 164-175 1923-1245 0004-0843 Black spruces Environmental impacts Frozen ground Oil spills on land Soil percolation Soil profiles Thawing Plant cover Thaw settlement Active layer Caribou Creek (65 09 N 147 29 W) Alaska Poker Creek (65 08 N 147 28 W) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 1994 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:21:32Z The effects of two large experimental crude oil spills conducted in the winter and summer of 1976 in a permafrost-underlain black spruce forest of interior Alaska were assessed 15 years after the spills. Effects on permafrost, as determined from measurements of active layer thaw depths and of the total amount of ground subsidence, were far more pronounced on the winter spill due to a larger surface-oiled area. The winter spill also had a more drastic effect on the vegetation. Where the black, asphalt-like surface oil was present, black spruce mortality was 100% and there was very little live plant cover except for cotton grass tussocks. Changes in oil chemistry varied with depth; surface samples had signs of microbiological degradation, whereas some subsurface samples taken just above the permafrost had no evidence of degradation and still contained volatile fractions.Key words: crude oil, spill, terrestrial, taiga, permafrost, black spruce forest, interior Alaska Quinze ans après avoir effectué deux grands déversements expérimentaux de pétrole brut durant l'hiver et l'été de 1976 dans une forêt d'épinettes noires reposant sur le pergélisol de l'intérieur de l'Alaska, on en a évalué les répercussions. Celles sur le pergélisol, déterminées d'après les mesures de la profondeur de fonte du mollisol et de la subsidence totale du sol, étaient beaucoup plus prononcées pour le déversement ayant eu lieu en hiver, en raison de la plus grande superficie couverte de pétrole. Ce déversement avait aussi eu des répercussions plus radicales sur la végétation. Là où le pétrole de surface ressemblant à de l'asphalte était présent, le taux de mortalité de l'épinette noire était de 100 p. cent et le couvert végétal vivant était rare, mis à part des buttes de linaigrette de Scheuchzer. Les changements dans la composition chimique du pétrole variaient avec la profondeur; les échantillons de surface montraient des signes de dégradation microbiologique, tandis que certains échantillons de subsurface prélevés juste au-dessus du pergélisol ne montraient aucun signe de dégradation et renfermaient encore des fractions volatiles.Mots clés : pétrole brut, déversement, terrestre, forêt boréale, pergélisol, forêt d’épinettes noires, intérieur de l’Alaska Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Linaigrette de Scheuchzer permafrost taiga Alaska Cotton-grass linaigrette pergélisol University of Calgary Journal Hosting Noire ENVELOPE(140.019,140.019,-66.666,-66.666) Poker Creek ENVELOPE(-141.005,-141.005,64.056,64.056) ARCTIC 47 2
institution Open Polar
collection University of Calgary Journal Hosting
op_collection_id ftunivcalgaryojs
language English
topic Black spruces
Environmental impacts
Frozen ground
Oil spills on land
Soil percolation
Soil profiles
Thawing
Plant cover
Thaw settlement
Active layer
Caribou Creek (65 09 N
147 29 W)
Alaska
Poker Creek (65 08 N
147 28 W)
spellingShingle Black spruces
Environmental impacts
Frozen ground
Oil spills on land
Soil percolation
Soil profiles
Thawing
Plant cover
Thaw settlement
Active layer
Caribou Creek (65 09 N
147 29 W)
Alaska
Poker Creek (65 08 N
147 28 W)
Collins, Charles M.
Racine, Charles H.
Walsh, Marianne E.
The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
topic_facet Black spruces
Environmental impacts
Frozen ground
Oil spills on land
Soil percolation
Soil profiles
Thawing
Plant cover
Thaw settlement
Active layer
Caribou Creek (65 09 N
147 29 W)
Alaska
Poker Creek (65 08 N
147 28 W)
description The effects of two large experimental crude oil spills conducted in the winter and summer of 1976 in a permafrost-underlain black spruce forest of interior Alaska were assessed 15 years after the spills. Effects on permafrost, as determined from measurements of active layer thaw depths and of the total amount of ground subsidence, were far more pronounced on the winter spill due to a larger surface-oiled area. The winter spill also had a more drastic effect on the vegetation. Where the black, asphalt-like surface oil was present, black spruce mortality was 100% and there was very little live plant cover except for cotton grass tussocks. Changes in oil chemistry varied with depth; surface samples had signs of microbiological degradation, whereas some subsurface samples taken just above the permafrost had no evidence of degradation and still contained volatile fractions.Key words: crude oil, spill, terrestrial, taiga, permafrost, black spruce forest, interior Alaska Quinze ans après avoir effectué deux grands déversements expérimentaux de pétrole brut durant l'hiver et l'été de 1976 dans une forêt d'épinettes noires reposant sur le pergélisol de l'intérieur de l'Alaska, on en a évalué les répercussions. Celles sur le pergélisol, déterminées d'après les mesures de la profondeur de fonte du mollisol et de la subsidence totale du sol, étaient beaucoup plus prononcées pour le déversement ayant eu lieu en hiver, en raison de la plus grande superficie couverte de pétrole. Ce déversement avait aussi eu des répercussions plus radicales sur la végétation. Là où le pétrole de surface ressemblant à de l'asphalte était présent, le taux de mortalité de l'épinette noire était de 100 p. cent et le couvert végétal vivant était rare, mis à part des buttes de linaigrette de Scheuchzer. Les changements dans la composition chimique du pétrole variaient avec la profondeur; les échantillons de surface montraient des signes de dégradation microbiologique, tandis que certains échantillons de subsurface prélevés juste au-dessus du pergélisol ne montraient aucun signe de dégradation et renfermaient encore des fractions volatiles.Mots clés : pétrole brut, déversement, terrestre, forêt boréale, pergélisol, forêt d’épinettes noires, intérieur de l’Alaska
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Collins, Charles M.
Racine, Charles H.
Walsh, Marianne E.
author_facet Collins, Charles M.
Racine, Charles H.
Walsh, Marianne E.
author_sort Collins, Charles M.
title The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
title_short The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
title_full The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
title_fullStr The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
title_full_unstemmed The Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills after 15 Years on a Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska
title_sort physical, chemical, and biological effects of crude oil spills after 15 years on a black spruce forest, interior alaska
publisher The Arctic Institute of North America
publishDate 1994
url https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341
long_lat ENVELOPE(140.019,140.019,-66.666,-66.666)
ENVELOPE(-141.005,-141.005,64.056,64.056)
geographic Noire
Poker Creek
geographic_facet Noire
Poker Creek
genre Arctic
Linaigrette de Scheuchzer
permafrost
taiga
Alaska
Cotton-grass
linaigrette
pergélisol
genre_facet Arctic
Linaigrette de Scheuchzer
permafrost
taiga
Alaska
Cotton-grass
linaigrette
pergélisol
op_source ARCTIC; Vol. 47 No. 2 (1994): June: 109–205; 164-175
1923-1245
0004-0843
op_relation https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341/48276
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64341
container_title ARCTIC
container_volume 47
container_issue 2
_version_ 1766290768200204288