Document Author: Mace G. Barron

Assessment of the Phototoxicity of Weathered Alaska North Slope Crude Oil to Juvenile Pink Salmon

The objective of this study was determine if weathered ANS crude oil would be phototoxic to juvenile pink salmon under conditions of short-term exposures to high levels of oil that may occur during an oil spill, and environmentally relevant levels of UV in natural waters. The results of this study indicate that pink salmon are at less risk from photoenhanced toxicity compared to early-life stages of several other Alaska species. Phototoxicity could occur under conditions of higher UV exposure, but additional research is not currently recommended as a high priority.

Public Comment Regarding the Draft NPDES Permit for BWTF at Alyeska Marine Terminal

In overview, the operators of the BWTF are tasked by regulation to stay within proscribed limits of pollutant effluent concentrations and to do no significant harm to the environment of Port Valdez. According to results from 28 years of Alyeska?s Environmental Monitoring Program (AEMP), the operators appear to have essentially succeeded in their task. Discharged oil concentrations are reported at very low levels and with the exception of the localized changes to infauna and elevated stress in fish near the diffuser, no significant harm to the environment has been documented. However, the PWSRCAC review finds that the data are, in places, inconclusive in supporting this assessment. Since 1977, various environmental parameters, including physical, chemical, and biological concerns, have been the focus of the AEMP. Many sites or parameters were examined for a few years and then dropped when they seemed to imply an ineffective technique, no harm to the environment, or no exceedance of limits. In hindsight, some of those decisions may have been made with inadequate information and optimistic confidence.

Critical Evaluation of Chemical Response to Oil Spills: Ecological Research Forum (CROSERF) Test Methods for Oil Dispersant Toxicity Testing under Subarctic Conditions

The Alaska Region Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan requires that decisions regarding chemical dispersants use in oil spill response in Alaska consider the potential impacts of chemically dispersed oil, including the toxicity to aquatic organisms. This review critically evaluates the aquatic organism toxicity testing protocols developed by the Chemical Response to Oil Spills: Ecological Research Forum (CROSERF) for applicability to assessing chemical dispersant toxicity under subarctic conditions.

Skip to content