FUEL SPILL: Images from the Exxon Valdez oil spill (updated)
I obtain a lot of traffic to The Conservation Report from people searching these words or phrases:
“Oil spill”
“Exxon Valdez”
“Pictures of the Exxon Valdez oil spill”
“Exxon Valdez oil spill effects”
To help folks researching the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster, I have provided the following images from www.photolib.noaa.gov:
The Exxon Valdez oil spill:
Image ID: line1526, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1527, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1529, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1532, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1533, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1535, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
Given the date of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (March 24, 1989), these harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) are probably immatures or female ducks, but they could be soiled male ducks in full plumage:
Image ID: line1537, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) being checked:
Image ID: line1538, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
Harbor seal(?) coated with oil:
Image ID: line1540, NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection
Location: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
I believe these birds are guillemots and not loons, and they are definitely not ducks or cormorants:
Photo courtesy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
On the Net:
- Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Could It Happen Again?
- Habitat Assessment: Lingering Exxon Valdez Oil
- Habitat Assessment: Pacific Herring and Oil
- Habitat Assessment: Differing Perspectives on Effects of Oil Spill
UPDATE 1 (3 June 10): Imagine if your home, house, neighborhood, and family were all helplessly covered in oil. Via Boston.com’s “The Big Picture,” a depressing, but powerful, collection of images showing oil-soaked birds from the BP Oil Spill:
Images: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
And this image, via Digg, shows an oil-covered bottlenose dolphin (or maybe a white-sided dolphin?):
Unlike the birds in the images above, which are visibly being impacted by the oil and will probably die, it might be impossible to discern from the image whether the dolphin died from interacting with leaked oil or from some other cause. However, undoubtedly, the BP oil spill is having a negative impact of all marine life—including cetaceans that are certainly interacting with oil beneath the Gulf and when they come to the surface to breathe air. More from NOAA:
From April 30 to June 1, there have been 29 dead dolphins verified within the designated spill area. So far, one of the 29 dolphins had evidence of external oil. Because it was found on an oiled beach, we are unable at this time to determine whether the animal was covered in oil prior to its death or after its death. The other 28 dolphins have had no visible evidence of external oil. Since April 30, the stranding rate for dolphins in Louisiana has been higher than the historic numbers for the same time period in previous years. This may be due to increased detection and reporting and the lingering effects of the earlier observed spike in strandings.
From April 30 to June 1, there have been 29 dead dolphins verified within the designated spill area. So far, one of the 29 dolphins had evidence of external oil. Because it was found on an oiled beach, we are unable at this time to determine whether the animal was covered in oil prior to its death or after its death. The other 28 dolphins have had no visible evidence of external oil. Since April 30, the stranding rate for dolphins in Louisiana has been higher than the historic numbers for the same time period in previous years. This may be due to increased detection and reporting and the lingering effects of the earlier observed spike in strandings.
On the Net:
UPDATE 2 (20 June 10): BP oil spill from the air:
These images are from “James Duncan Davidson, TED’s conference photographer, [and he] is among a crew of five photographers and videographers reporting on the Gulf of Mexico for the TEDxOilSpill Expedition.” You can find more photos from the TEDxOilSpill Expedition on duncandavidson Flickr page, and you can follow TEDxOilSpill on Twitter or read their blog. TEDxOilSpill is also conducting a poster competition.
Surface oil:
Oil burning on the ocean’s surface:
Oil in the marshes and islands of Barataria Bay, Louisiana:
Shrimp boats skim the ocean’s surface around Barataria Bay, Louisiana:
The Deepwater Horizon accident site showing controlled burns being conducted and ”one of two drilling rigs drilling the releif [sic] wells“:
The authors or licensors of these images do not endorse my work or me and their images are protected under an attribution license.
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I really like how you did this Im am going to have awarness in my school!! I really like kids to know about this (I am a princible)!!
I grew up in Cordova,AK. Exxon destroyed my life and my home all to make a buck. There is still oil on the beaches, people are sick from toxins and the wildlife will NEVER recover no matter what anyone says. Thank you for making this info available to others, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. It is hard for me to comprehend how someone can think it’s ok to rape one of the most beautiful(and bountiful) places on earth and not even say sorry. Thank you
My husband was able to show me the beauty Cordova still offers, but Exxon took something from everyone that lived there and those who visit. Exxon didnt even try to make it up to the people. The settlement was a joke(is a joke). The make 160 billion in profit every year… the people who live there now lose money every year. The people who once dreamed that they could give their children the chance to Commercial fish those waters lost the chance for their children to see the beautiful place cordova was, and fish for species of fish that will never recover.
Thank you DB for sharing your personal experiences regarding this tragic situation that’s still impacting many lives and livelihoods (and the environment).
awesomely sad
i feel very sorry for the animals :O
:’(
there homes were destroyed because of humans
So, has the origination of the oil spill been officially confirmed that it was not set off by the crap spewing out of the mouth of Nancy Grace of CNN?
Please note that the post above is a hi-jacked blog and avatar of mine. johninfloridaa with the extra a has been hi-jacked by Jasen Biczak aka michellefrommadison the Nancy Grace hater
My blog is at http://johninflorida.wordpress.com/ I am the only one who can respond to post on there.