[Coral-List] nicobar oil spill

John Cubit John.Cubit at noaa.gov
Wed Aug 16 21:13:57 EDT 2006


Greg --- The situation I described was for the 1986 Texaco Refinery 
spill in Bahia las Minas (Colon Province), which is different than the 
TROPICS experiments conducted a few years earlier by API, et al.,  in 
Bocas del Toro (also on the Caribbean coast of Panama). 

The coral mortality I described for the 1986 spill was at Punta Galeta 
reef.  No dispersants were applied at Punta Galeta itself; however, we 
cannot rule out the possibility that some of the slicks that arrived at 
Galeta had been sprayed with dispersants at another location, but failed 
to disperse.  In the TROPICS experiments, dispersant was premixed with 
oil before releasing the oil in an experimental spill, and, as you point 
out, the dispersed oil mixture did have adverse impacts on corals. --- John

Greg Challenger wrote:
> It depends on exposure. There is a study in the Netherland Antilles that suggest they repel particulate oil much like sediment particles.  I do not have the reference handy as I am in the field at an oil spill at present.  Obviously, submersed in oil is bad.  John, weren't the subtidal oil-affected corals largely limited to the areas where dispersants were used, or am I thinking of the TROPIX studies in Panama?
> ----- Original Message -----From: John Cubit
> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 5:42 PM
> To: Chris Hind
> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] nicobar oil spill
>
> In the 1986 Bahia las Minas spill (Caribbean Panama), intertidal Porites  
> and Millepora on
> reef flats were directly immersed in standing oil at low tide.  The oil  
> was a mixture of
> Venezuelan and Mexican crude oils (medium weight crude oils, 27 deg API  
> at 15.6 deg C).  
> All of these intertidal corals were killed.  Oil also adversely impacted  
> shallow subtidal corals.
>
> Chris Hind wrote:
>   
>> anyone happen to know how well exposed coral at low
>> tide can repel oil with its mucus?
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>
> --  
> John Cubit, Ph.D.
> Damage Assessment Coordinator, Southwest Region
> NOAA Damage Assessment Center, Suite 4470
> 501 W. Ocean Blvd.
> Long Beach, CA 90802
>
> John.Cubit at noaa.com
> tel 562 980-4081
> fax 562 980-4084
>
> Cell phone (for urgent matters and travel contact) 562 810-4949
>
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>   

-- 
John Cubit, Ph.D.
Damage Assessment Coordinator, Southwest Region
NOAA Damage Assessment Center, Suite 4470
501 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802

John.Cubit at noaa.com
tel 562 980-4081
fax 562 980-4084

Cell phone (for urgent matters and travel contact) 562 810-4949




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