Abstract
Managing oil spill residues washing onto sandy beaches is a common worldwide environmental problem. In this study, we have analyzed the first-arrival oil spill residues collected from two Gulf of Mexico (GOM) beach systems following two recent oil spills: the 2014 Galveston Bay (GB) oil spill, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. This is the first study to provide field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oil spill. Here we compare the physical and chemical characteristics of GB oil spill samples with DWH oil spill samples and present their similarities and differences. Our field observations indicate that both oil spills had similar shoreline deposition patterns; however, their physical and chemical characteristics differed considerably. We highlight these differences, discuss their implications, and interpret GB data in light of lessons learned from previously published DWH oil spill studies. These analyses are further used to assess the long-term fate of GB oil spill residues and their potential environmental impacts.
Highlights
On March 22, 2014, on the weekend of the 25th anniversary of the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the bulk carrier M/V Summer Wind collided with the oil barge Kirby, near Texas City, about 50 km southeast of Houston, Texas
The n-alkane profile for Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil residue was relatively narrow indicating the presence of compounds ranging from C16 to C30, and the lighter alkanes were absent in this sample
Since the toxicity of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can vary significantly [31,32,33,34], better understanding of overall detrimental ecological effects associated with Galveston Bay (GB) and DWH spills warrants further studies. This is the first study that reports field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oil spill and compares the results against observations made during another major spill
Summary
On March 22, 2014, on the weekend of the 25th anniversary of the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the bulk carrier M/V Summer Wind collided with the oil barge Kirby, near Texas City, about 50 km southeast of Houston, Texas. The accident released approximately 168,000 gallons of marine fuel oil (known as RMG-380, a highly viscous, sticky, heavy black oil) into Galveston Bay (GB). Oil residues began washing up on several beaches along GB. The oil spill spread into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and within a week oil was rapidly transported by shoreline currents to the Matagorda Island Wildlife Management region, located about 200 km south of GB. By the end of March, overflight observers noted beached oil being rapidly buried under clean sand near Matagorda Island [1]. Oil spill incidents like these occur in GB on a regular basis: according to the Texas General Land Office, 3,954 oil spills occurred in GB between 1998 and 2010 [2]
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