Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach
Detailed observations, mapping and sampling were conducted following an experimental spill of 15 cu m of crude oil adjacent to the coast at Cape Hatt, Baffin Island, N.W.T. The beach could not retain all of the oil that reached the shoreline, and as a result, one-third of the spill oil was recovered...
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The Arctic Institute of North America
1987
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/64861 2023-05-15T14:19:14+02:00 Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach Owens, Edwards H. Harper, John R. Robson, Wishart Boehm, Paul D. 1987-01-01 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861/48775 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861 ARCTIC; Vol. 40 No. 5 (1987): Supplement: 1–279; 109-123 1923-1245 0004-0843 Asphalts Beaches Biodegradation Canada. Baffin Island Oil Spill Project Intertidal zones Marine oil spills Crude oil Sediments (Geology) Weathering Eclipse Sound Nunavut Hatt Cape Ragged Channel info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 1987 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:21:59Z Detailed observations, mapping and sampling were conducted following an experimental spill of 15 cu m of crude oil adjacent to the coast at Cape Hatt, Baffin Island, N.W.T. The beach could not retain all of the oil that reached the shoreline, and as a result, one-third of the spill oil was recovered in cleanup activities on the water, approximately one-third was lost to the atmosphere and to the ocean and one-third remained stranded on the intertidal zone. The stranded oil was subject to natural cleaning processes during approximately 6 months of open-water periods from 1981 to 1983. Over this period the surface area of oil cover was reduced by approximately half, whereas estimates indicate that 80% of the oil initially stranded (5.3 cu m) was removed. This natural removal of stranded oil occurred in a very sheltered environment. The reduction of the surface area and of the volume of oil resulted primarily from the physical processes associated with wave activity and ground-water leaching. By 1983 an asphalt pavement had developed in the upper intertidal zone on the beach-face slope. Total hydrocarbon concentrations of samples collected from the asphalt pavement indicated a significant increase in oil-in-sediment values in this zone to concentrations in the order of 2-5%. Oil removed from the beach was transported into the adjacent nearshore bottom sediments, where oil concentrations increased sixfold between 1981 and 1983. Physio-chemical weathering rates were relatively rapid immediately following the release of the oil, as the lower molecular weight (C1 to C10) hydrocarbons evaporated. Subsequent physio-chemical changes were heterogeneous . The primary conclusion from the investigations undertaken to date is that oil is removed in substantial quantities from the intertidal zone even in such a sheltered, low-energy arctic environment. Similar changes should also be expected from comparable environments in lower latitudes.Key words: oil spill, natural oil weathering, asphalt pavement, beached oil Mots clés: déversement de pétrole, dégradation naturelle du pétrole, plaque d’asphalte, pétrole échoué Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Eclipse Sound Nunavut University of Calgary Journal Hosting Arctic Baffin Island Canada Cape Hatt ENVELOPE(-79.832,-79.832,72.501,72.501) Eclipse Sound ENVELOPE(-78.998,-78.998,72.635,72.635) Nunavut ARCTIC 40 5 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcalgaryojs |
language |
English |
topic |
Asphalts Beaches Biodegradation Canada. Baffin Island Oil Spill Project Intertidal zones Marine oil spills Crude oil Sediments (Geology) Weathering Eclipse Sound Nunavut Hatt Cape Ragged Channel |
spellingShingle |
Asphalts Beaches Biodegradation Canada. Baffin Island Oil Spill Project Intertidal zones Marine oil spills Crude oil Sediments (Geology) Weathering Eclipse Sound Nunavut Hatt Cape Ragged Channel Owens, Edwards H. Harper, John R. Robson, Wishart Boehm, Paul D. Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
topic_facet |
Asphalts Beaches Biodegradation Canada. Baffin Island Oil Spill Project Intertidal zones Marine oil spills Crude oil Sediments (Geology) Weathering Eclipse Sound Nunavut Hatt Cape Ragged Channel |
description |
Detailed observations, mapping and sampling were conducted following an experimental spill of 15 cu m of crude oil adjacent to the coast at Cape Hatt, Baffin Island, N.W.T. The beach could not retain all of the oil that reached the shoreline, and as a result, one-third of the spill oil was recovered in cleanup activities on the water, approximately one-third was lost to the atmosphere and to the ocean and one-third remained stranded on the intertidal zone. The stranded oil was subject to natural cleaning processes during approximately 6 months of open-water periods from 1981 to 1983. Over this period the surface area of oil cover was reduced by approximately half, whereas estimates indicate that 80% of the oil initially stranded (5.3 cu m) was removed. This natural removal of stranded oil occurred in a very sheltered environment. The reduction of the surface area and of the volume of oil resulted primarily from the physical processes associated with wave activity and ground-water leaching. By 1983 an asphalt pavement had developed in the upper intertidal zone on the beach-face slope. Total hydrocarbon concentrations of samples collected from the asphalt pavement indicated a significant increase in oil-in-sediment values in this zone to concentrations in the order of 2-5%. Oil removed from the beach was transported into the adjacent nearshore bottom sediments, where oil concentrations increased sixfold between 1981 and 1983. Physio-chemical weathering rates were relatively rapid immediately following the release of the oil, as the lower molecular weight (C1 to C10) hydrocarbons evaporated. Subsequent physio-chemical changes were heterogeneous . The primary conclusion from the investigations undertaken to date is that oil is removed in substantial quantities from the intertidal zone even in such a sheltered, low-energy arctic environment. Similar changes should also be expected from comparable environments in lower latitudes.Key words: oil spill, natural oil weathering, asphalt pavement, beached oil Mots clés: déversement de pétrole, dégradation naturelle du pétrole, plaque d’asphalte, pétrole échoué |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Owens, Edwards H. Harper, John R. Robson, Wishart Boehm, Paul D. |
author_facet |
Owens, Edwards H. Harper, John R. Robson, Wishart Boehm, Paul D. |
author_sort |
Owens, Edwards H. |
title |
Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
title_short |
Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
title_full |
Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
title_fullStr |
Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fate and Persistence of Crude Oil Stranded on a Sheltered Beach |
title_sort |
fate and persistence of crude oil stranded on a sheltered beach |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
1987 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-79.832,-79.832,72.501,72.501) ENVELOPE(-78.998,-78.998,72.635,72.635) |
geographic |
Arctic Baffin Island Canada Cape Hatt Eclipse Sound Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island Canada Cape Hatt Eclipse Sound Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Eclipse Sound Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Eclipse Sound Nunavut |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 40 No. 5 (1987): Supplement: 1–279; 109-123 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861/48775 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64861 |
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ARCTIC |
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40 |
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5 |
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1766290847014322176 |