Santa Barbara Oil Research Articles

Oil Spill Problems in Cold Climates: The Coast Guard Attacks the Alaskan Oil Spill Problem

Naval Engineers JournalVolume 86, Issue 6 p. 59-64 Oil Spill Problems in Cold Climates: The Coast Guard Attacks the Alaskan Oil Spill Problem CAPT. CHARLES W. KOBURGER JR., CAPT. CHARLES W. KOBURGER JR. USCGR Capt. Charles W. Koburger, USCGR, is by profession a consultant (research analyst) in maritime affairs. Presently on active duty, he is Staff Assistant to the Chief, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. Prior to that, he was employed in 1972 by IMCO as an oil pollution expert and worked in Syria and Egypt. A member of ASNE, he also is a Companion of the (British) Nautical Institute, and he has contributed several articles and technical papers to various professional journals.Search for more papers by this authorLT. JAMES H. GETMAN, LT. JAMES H. GETMAN USCG Lt. James H. Getman, USCG, is a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. New London, Conn. Following a “deck tour” in USCGC Pontchartrain, he served as Commanding Officer, USCGC Point Evans, and as such participated in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill incident. After a tour as a controller in the Long Beach Rescue Coordination Center, he was assigned to the University of Rhode Island where his research for his MS thesis in Ocean Engineering involved ice thickness measurement of Arctic pack ice. He is presently assigned as the Arctic Pollution Response Program Project Officer in the Office of Research and Development, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.Search for more papers by this author CAPT. CHARLES W. KOBURGER JR., CAPT. CHARLES W. KOBURGER JR. USCGR Capt. Charles W. Koburger, USCGR, is by profession a consultant (research analyst) in maritime affairs. Presently on active duty, he is Staff Assistant to the Chief, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. Prior to that, he was employed in 1972 by IMCO as an oil pollution expert and worked in Syria and Egypt. A member of ASNE, he also is a Companion of the (British) Nautical Institute, and he has contributed several articles and technical papers to various professional journals.Search for more papers by this authorLT. JAMES H. GETMAN, LT. JAMES H. GETMAN USCG Lt. James H. Getman, USCG, is a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. New London, Conn. Following a “deck tour” in USCGC Pontchartrain, he served as Commanding Officer, USCGC Point Evans, and as such participated in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill incident. After a tour as a controller in the Long Beach Rescue Coordination Center, he was assigned to the University of Rhode Island where his research for his MS thesis in Ocean Engineering involved ice thickness measurement of Arctic pack ice. He is presently assigned as the Arctic Pollution Response Program Project Officer in the Office of Research and Development, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.Search for more papers by this author First published: December 1974 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1974.tb03701.x AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume86, Issue6December 1974Pages 59-64 RelatedInformation

A Reinvestigation of Southern California Rocky Intertidal Beaches Three and One-Half Years after the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill: A Preliminary Report

ABSTRACT Ten rocky intertidal beaches in southern California, which were surveyed for a 12 month period following the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, were reinvestigated in June and July of 1972. Data from this 1972 survey as well as data collected during the same months on the same beaches in 1969 and 1970 were analyzed by forming beach groupings using cluster analysis. This analysis indicates that sand movement and substrate stability are the two most important factors affecting the presence of marine organisms on these beaches during this period. Overall, the effect of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill on the presence and abundance of rocky intertidal organisms was less important than other environmental factors. Most mortalities reported were localized in tide pools and high intertidal areas.

The impact of impact studies

1. On January 1, 1970 the National Environmental Protection Act became law in the United States, and has been further strengthened by judicial interpretations. This act requires, among other things, a presentation of information to justify the effect of projects on the environment of both public and private works controlled by the permit process of the federal government, and to suggest alternatives. One of the events which influenced passage of this legislation was the Santa Barbara oil spill of January 1969. 2. Insofar as the marine environment is concerned, the most significant activity related to the requirement for impact statements is the study of coastal situations where waste outfalls, atomic power plants or desalination plants may be located. Although many of the studies sponsored by industry have been cursory, the need for critical application of ecological techniques known since the classical studies ofLorenz (1863) and touched upon in brief notes byHerdman (1920) andElmhirst (1932) has become obvious through the public hearing process. 3. The impact of impact studies may not only be to raise the standards of environmental studies in the sea, but also to clarify the present somewhat incoherent application by pragmatic ecologists of such debatable theoretical concepts as diversity and community stability.

Biology of sea mussels (Mytilus californianus [Conrad] and M edulis [Linn.]) before and after the Santa Barbara Oil Spill (1969)

Effects of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill on sea mussels were investigated by comparing biomass characteristics of mussel populations in polluted and clean areas before, during, and after the discharge. Animals in exposed areas were not significantly lighter in body weight than those in clean areas. Likewise no deleterious effect in the form of lowered body weights could be detected in mussels from polluted areas in three successive years subsequent to the oil spill. It is noted that the spill in question occurred at a time of minimal growth on the part of the sea mussels involved and that an adverse response might have resulted if the oil had washed ashore during a period of heightened growth. The technique employed makes reference only to living organism, therefore no comment is made with respect to incurred mortality patterns.

The Santa Barbara oil spill Part 1: Initial quantities and distribution of pollutant crude oil

The quantity of oil which came ashore during the early stages of the Santa Barbara oil spill has been estimated from intertidal oil samples and aeirial photographs. These methods indicate that 4500 metric tons of crude oil were deposited on nearly 90 km of coast by 8 February 1969, 11 days after the spill began. Dosages in the intertidal zone varied from 2·7 to 118·1 metric tons/km. These dosage estimates suggest that the flow rate at the well was around 5000 barrels (726 metric tons)/day during the early stages of the spill. A large quantity of oil was held for varying periods of time in the surface canopies of offshore kelp beds. The interaction of wind, wave action, tides, and substrate determined the pattern of oil distribution within the intertidal zone.

The Santa Barbara oil spill Part 2: Initial effects on intertidal and kelp bed organisms

The initial effects of the Santa Barbara oil spill on intertidal and kelp bed organisms were studied. Based on earlier surveys, the greatest negative biological change at a sample station after the spill was the loss of 16 plant species. However, losses in species were correlated in most cases with sand movement, and may have been related to the severe storms which occurred before and during the oil spill. Although gross species changes were not correlated with oil dosage, severe damage occurred in intertidal surf grass and barnacle populations as a result of the oil pollution. Potential long-term biological effects of the continuing pollution are discussed.

Santa Barbara oil pollution project

Santa Barbara oil pollution project

Remote Sensing Of Oil Slicks

Abstract An overview of remote sensing methods is presented and illustrated with data taken at the Santa Barbara oil spill The conclusion is reached that such methods possess monitoring capability but so far the ability to identify the slick material as oil has not been demonstrated. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are briefly discussed.