Document Category: Environmental Monitoring

This technical supplement contains information on field sampling, and analytical and data analysis methods used to monitor and assess environmental hydrocarbons and their potential environmental risk in Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s (PWSRCAC) Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP). This document should function as an aid to the assertions made in the Long Term Environmental Monitoring Program 2025 Summary Report. Download the 2025 Technical …

 The major environmental monitoring activities of the Council are conducted through the long-term environmental monitoring program, known as LTEMP. This project has gathered data on the presence of hydrocarbons in sediments and mussels in the region since 1993. The report and supplement provide data and results from the 2025 sampling excursions in Port Valdez. During the excursions, samples from mussels, sediment, and seawater were collected at sites adjacent to the Valdez Marine Terminal and reference sites. The samples were analyzed for the presence of hydrocarbons. Dr. Powers reported the results show that there is currently a low risk for effects on wildlife at current concentrations. Details available in the 2025 Technical Supplement.  Download the Summary …

This report summarizes a workshop held during the 23rd Annual Subsistence Memorial Gathering, an event hosted by the Chugach Regional Resources Commission, or CRRC, on March 27, 2025. The workshop was a partnership between the Council, CRRC, and Alaska Sea Grant. The goals of the workshop were to bring together residents of the Chugach and Exxon Valdez oil spill region to share stories, discuss concerns about past and future environmental impacts, and generate interest in locally supported …

This report by Dr. Merv Fingas summarizes his analysis of the physical and chemical properties of a sample of 2024 Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil. This analysis is sponsored by the Council every five years or so to track changes in the oil’s properties, and how those changes might impact oil spill response measures including mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, and use of dispersants. Dr. Fingas noted that the sample’s composition is more similar to the previous sample, analyzed in 2019, than samples taken in 2015 and earlier. ANS crude oil is trending lighter since around 2010, and is now considered a “medium” weight oil. Compared to previous samples, this oil is less prone to emulsify, less dispersible as the oil weathers, and less adhesive to …

This pilot study provides a summary of 23 metals identified in sediments collected near two monitoring sites in Port Valdez.

This technical supplement contains information on field sampling, and analytical and data analysis methods used to monitor and assess environmental hydrocarbons and their potential environmental risk in Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s (PWSRCAC) Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP).

The major environmental monitoring activities of the Council are conducted through the long-term environmental monitoring project, known as LTEMP. This project has gathered data on the presence of hydrocarbons in sediments and mussels in the region since 1993.

This technical supplement contains information on field sampling, and analytical and data analysis methods used to monitor and assess environmental hydrocarbons and their potential environmental risk in Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s (PWSRCAC) Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP).

The major environmental monitoring activities of the Council are conducted through the long-term environmental monitoring project, known as LTEMP. This project has gathered data on the presence of hydrocarbons in sediments and mussels in the region since 1993. This report summarizes data collected in 2022 and 2023.

Detailed agenda for 2023 Science …

Abstract: This study investigates the treatment processes employed at a ballast water treatment facility in Valdez, Alaska, to remove hydrocarbons from unsegregated ballast water.

On April 12, 2020, a minor oil spill was reported at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) in Port Valdez, Alaska. An estimated 1,400 gallons (~34 barrels) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil overflowed from an onshore sump well and subsequently reached the shoreline, creating slicks and necessitating a full-scale marine cleanup response. Recognizing a “spill of opportunity,” the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s (PWSRCAC) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) initiated a special project to measure oil exposures and genetic response in shoreline mussels from
this spill.

This report titled ‘2019 Alaska North Slope Crude Oil Properties’ by Dr. Merv Fingas, is based on a lab analysis of Alaska North Slope crude oil that was collected in 2019.

The Council has sponsored what we believe is one of the most complete compilations of articles written on oil spill dispersant research. This database is available as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

These materials were developed to aid in communicating the rationale for the Council’s position that was adopted in September 2022 by elaborating on each of the four sections of the position.

In response to a minor shoreline spill in Port Valdez, AK, a time series of mussels (M. trossulus) was collected and analyzed for oil burdens and transcriptome response. In general, transcription results show that following higher levels of tissue PAH burdens, significant physiological responses occurred.

This is a summary report on dispersants and dispersant research. This is an update to the previous detailed summary which was prepared in 2021, and covers the literature published since that review.

This report is an interim deliverable to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) under contract 9550.22.01 to support the Council’s intention to update their position on the use of dispersants in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.

This document is the technical supplement for the Long Term Environmental Monitoring Program 2021 Summary Report.

The Council’s position on the use of chemical dispersants.

This document is a summary report for 28th year of Long Term Environmental Monitoring Program.

This is an update report on dispersants and dispersant research. Detailed reviews were carried out for Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2017.

For this report, researchers analyzed mussels for oil concentrations and genetic response to the April 2020 spill, both near and far away from the spill site.

For this report, researchers analyzed mussels for oil concentrations and genetic response to the April 2020 spill, both near and far away from the spill site.

This annual report summarizes and interprets the Council’s oil pollution monitoring work for the year.

The goal of this pilot study was to determine if transcriptomic analysis of mussel tissue would be useful as a part of the Council’s Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP).

The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) significantly altered wild food harvest practices and ways of life in the coastal communities of Cordova, Chenega, Tatitlek, Nanwalek, and Port Graham. In this project, researchers studied data from surveys collected over 40 years to assess changes and trends in subsistence resource use.

This joint project with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) assessed how the subsistence harvest of natural resources has changed over time in Exxon Valdez oil spill impacted communities. Researchers analyzed subsistence harvest data collected from 1984 through 2014 in the communities of Cordova, Chenega, Tatitlek, Port Graham, and Nanwalek.

This annual report summarizes and interprets the Council’s oil pollution monitoring work for the year.

This pilot project provided funding to evaluate if a new environmental monitoring method, transcriptomics, could be used to improve the Council’s Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP).

The Council’s Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP) was begun in 1993 with the goal of monitoring for environmental impacts from oil transportation activities.

This annual report examines the hydrocarbon chemistry data from Port Valdez sediments and mussel tissues with
the goal of monitoring for impacts from oil transportation activities on the environment at selected sites from Prince
William Sound (PWS) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA).

On 21 September 2017, an estimated 150 gallons of Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil were accidentally released during crude oil loading arm leak testing at Berth 5 of the Alyeska Marine Terminal.

The Deepwater Horizon spill marked the first time that the effects of dispersants on human health were studied extensively and directly. This report summarizes the studies and their findings.

The Prince William Sound Science Center conducted a study of circulation for the Council to describe and quantify the currents within Port Valdez, Alaska, and to address concerns regarding the potential dispersal of contaminants, such as spilled oil, within the fjord basin.

This report summarizes the literature related to oil spill dispersants through May 2017. It synthesizes key findings to address issues of relevance to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens? Advisory Council (PWSRCAC). It is the fourth in a report series begun in 2002, in which the author has periodically reviewed the dispersant literature dating back to 1999 for PWSRCAC. As such, this report builds on these previous studies, and includes summary discussion of the past reports in this series.

This report is a review of the literature on oil spill dispersants published through May 2017.

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The Prince William Sound Science Center conducted a literature search and developed a bibliography of research conducted on biological resources during winter in Prince William Sound (PWS) since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The literature search returned 133 unique results documenting the presence of 188 species, including 61 zooplankton, 1 mollusk, 1 echinoderm, 7 crustaceans, 61 fish, 50 birds, and 6 mammal species. However, the species list included with the bibliography is by no means a comprehensive list of all species present in PWS during winter. We were unable to find any published studies or reports documenting sea cucumbers, sea urchins, jellyfish, octopus, and several marine mammal species known to occur in PWS throughout the year. Our bibliography is useful for identifying sensitive biological resources in the Sound and can be used as a tool to inform and update oil spill contingency …

Prince William Sound Dispersants Monitoring Protocol: Implementation and Enhancement of SMART (Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies) The primary purpose of dispersant monitoring is to provide feedback about effectiveness and potential adverse impacts to inform the decision to apply, or continue applying, dispersants.

This paper is a summary of several oil parameters and the spill behavior of the 2015 Alaskan North Slope sample as provided to Environment Canada. Environment Canada analyzed the sample provided to them by PWSRCAC for environmental and physical parameters. The essential parameters included in the 2015 analysis are the oil viscosity, density, and emulsion formation.

Results from an analysis of the properties of Alaska North Slope crude oil collected in 2015.

Report by Council intern Seth Suydam about samples of Alaska North Slope crude oil (ANS), obtained by the Council in 2015 and sent to Environment Canada for analytical testing. Testing results indicated no major changes in ANS properties from the last time ANS underwent testing in 2013.

This report describes ballast water data reported by crude oil tankers arriving to Valdez and Prince William Sound, Alaska, from 2005 through 2015.

Polar compounds as found in oils are hydrocarbon compounds containing nitrogen, sulphur or oxygen. Measurement of the presence of these compounds in oils can be carried out using sophisticated analysis techniques, however quantification and separation of compounds is very difficult and will remain a problem for many years to come. Characterization of polar compounds in oils is at a state of infancy and little polar analysis for Alaska North Slope oil has been carried out to date.

Prince William Sound (PWS) on the southern coast of Alaska is characterized by high volumes of marine traffic both commercial (oil tankers, fishing vessels) and recreational. The ability to detect potential pollution events is vital for the area?s environmental and economic integrity. The Regional Citizens? Advisory Council (RCAC) was formed to promote environmentally safe pipeline and tanker operations throughout PWS and its adjacent waters. In an effort to support RCAC?s mandate, this project was carried out to demonstrate the utility of satellite surveillance for environmental monitoring in PWS. Using freely available radar imagery from the recently launched Sentinel-1 mission, emphasis was placed on detecting potential oil slicks as well as large vessels transitioning PWS on their way to and from the Port of Valdez.

A review of the literature on developing genomic technologies for the detection of genotoxic effects in mussels and other bivalve species, with a focus on effects of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Letter to EPA with comments on 40 CFR Parts 110 and 300, National Contingency Plan Subparts A and J

A brief summary and analysis of the key issues identified by the Council regarding proposed changes to Subpart J.

Small amounts of crude oil hydrocarbons enter the waters of Port Valdez from discharge from the terminal’s ballast water treatment facility. Subsistence shrimp fishermen wanted to know if shrimp caught in Port Valdez were safe to eat, so the Council commissioned a report through Auke Bay Lab to provide information about hydrocarbon levels found in shrimp harvested in Port Valdez.

There have been two major oil crises in United States history, the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The aftermath of both of these events resulted in immediate and severe impacts on wildlife and humans.

This report is a review of the literature on oil spill dispersants published from 2011 to June 2014. The report identifies and focuses on recent advances in dispersant effectiveness, toxicity, and biodegradation. Other topics such as behavior and fate are also covered.

The 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster exposed the embryos of pink salmon and Pacific herring to weathered crude oil in shoreline habitats throughout Prince William Sound. The Pacific herring population collapsed four years later. The role of the oil spill, if any, in the forage fish decline has remained one of the most prominent unanswered questions in modern natural resource injury assessment.

Letter to stakeholders about concerns regarding changes to dispersant use authorization.?

Discussion Points For Public Meetings On Changes To Dispersant Use Guidelines

This document was prepared to supplement a November 2013 PWSRCAC outreach document to support public comments on the draft ARRT dispersants plan under public review at that time.

A summary of dispersant use issues to support member organization participation at the ARRT?s public meetings.?

Oil that has undergone biodegradation or photooxidation, contains oxygenated compounds. These compounds cannot be analysed by standard extraction and gas-chromatographic methods. Conventional methods do not analyse for polar compounds and would not count them in the analytical results.

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This report describes the experiments conducted by research groups located at the St. Andrews Biological Station, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Bedford Institute of Oceanography; and Queen’s University. Environmental conditions, such as water temperature and salinity, may affect the toxicity of chemically and mechanically dispersed crude oil when accidental spills occur. Impacts of oil spills on local fish populations will also vary depending on the relative sensitivities of resident species and stocks.

Appendices for report “Toxicity Effects Of Dispersed Alaska North Slope Oil On Fish – Final Report, March 2013”

Herding agents are surfactant mixtures or singular surfactants, used to drive thin slicks of oil to a desired location or to push slicks together so that they can be collected or burned. Herding agents contain a surfactant which has a spreading pressure greater than that of oil. Historically these agents were not used to any extent. Recently they have been tested as agents which may assist the burning of oil in ice situations. The idea is that the herding agents may push the oil together to yield burnable thicknesses in those cases where it is too thin to burn. Herding agents have limitations such as they are not useful in any but calm conditions and the limitation is that only about a 3 mm slick can be herded together. Further, the herding effect diminishes with time as the surfactants dissolve slowly or adhere to solid objects in their path. Action is probably limited to about one hour. Herding agents would be used by spraying them around the slick to compress the slick inward. At this time, herding agents are not approved for use in the USA nor are they common commercial products.

This paper is a review and update of oil spill solidifiers and summarizes data on solidifier effectiveness, composition, and application.

Surface washing agents or beach cleaners or shoreline cleaning agents, are formulations containing surfactants and are designed to remove oil from surfaces such as shorelines. The desired mechanism is that of detergency rather than dispersion. These agents generally have properties different from dispersants and are of typically lower aquatic toxicity, do not disperse oil except at higher mixing energies and are applied quite differently than dispersants. Surface washing agents are typically applied on oil stranded on beaches during low-tide phases and then the oil is removed using low-pressure water and directed toward an oil recovery area. This version of the report reviews the old work and updates the topic until 2013.

This review discusses the ingestion and effects of dispersed oil on zooplankton and fish larvae, the different types of surfactants used in dispersants with possible effects on zooplankton, gaps in research and priority areas for future research on effects of dispersed oil on zooplankton.

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Letter to ARRT Dispersants Working Group with comments on Revision 3 Draft Annex F dated July 15, 2012

From profiles of conductivity, temperature and depth provided by Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) to Musgrave Oceanographic Analysis (MOA), we analyzed the mixed layer depth (MLD), the potential energy of mixing, and the salinity and temperature in the upper layers of Prince William Sound (PWS) by season and region. We defined the MLD as the depth at which a change from the surface density (expressed as) of 0.125 kg m-3 has occurred. As a better measure of the potential for mixing of the upper ocean, we calculated the potential energy of mixing to a depth of 10 m, the minimum depth over which dispersed oil is expected to mix. The results of this analysis show that the MLD is shallowest in the summer and deepest in the winter.

Observations, questions, and recommendations from the council regarding the subject of unprecedented dispersants use in the Gulf of Mexico by BP.

White paper outlining concerns regarding the first response use of dispersants in the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Stakeholder Comments to the ARRT Science & Technology Committee regarding Revision of the Dispersant Guidelines

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This report is a review of the limited literature on oil spill solidifiers published from 1990 to August 2008. The report identifies and summarizes data on solidifier effectiveness, composition, and application.

The literature on oil spill dispersants between 2001 and 2008 is extensive, consisting of more than 300 papers.

This report is a review of the literature on oil spill dispersants published from 1997 to August, 2008. The report identifies and focusses on recent advances in dispersant effectiveness, toxicity, and biodegradation. Other topics such as application, use, behaviour and fate are also covered.

The ‘response gap’ is the window between the upper limits of the response system (in terms of environmental conditions) and the conditions at which Hinchinbrook Entrance is closed to laden tankers.

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Appendix to report: “Field Notes and Critical Observations from the OHMSETT Heavy Oil Dispersant Trials”

Appendix to report: “Field Notes and Critical Observations from the OHMSETT Heavy Oil Dispersant Trials”

Appendix to report: “Field Notes and Critical Observations from the OHMSETT Heavy Oil Dispersant Trials”

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This 2006 Council report outlines the non-mechanical response to the T/V Exxon Valdez grounding and subsequent oil spill. It includes a description of the contingency plan structure, a description of the Oil Dispersants Guidelines for Alaska, the decision-making processes between the federal and state agencies, and a detailed description of all the dispersant applications performed during the …

This report, which was prepared for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens? Advisory Council (PWSRCAC), contains the authors? observations from four days of cold water dispersant testing at the Ohmsett facility in February?March 2006. This report provides an overview of the testing and general observations of the PWS observer team. A companion report, entitled ?Analysis of Oil Spill Dispersant Effectiveness Testing at Ohmsett,? provides a technical analysis of the experimental design and testing protocols.

This paper is a review of dispersant testing at OHMSETT. These tests were designed to measure the effectiveness of dispersant on Alaskan oils at low temperatures. The oil and water temperatures were close to the freezing point.

For this report, researchers investigated linkages between riverine and oceanic influences and the nutritional baseline for mudflat food webs in the Copper River Delta and Hartney Bay in Southeastern Prince William Sound, using stable isotopes of naturally occurring carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), which are both essential elements for growth.

This report describes the results of chemical analyses performed on portions of sediment samples collected in 2000 by ABL personnel for a separate project entitled “Evaluation of Yakataga Oil Seeps as Regional Background Hydrocarbon Sources in Benthic Sediments of the Exxon Valdez Spill Area”.

Sediment cores were collected from eight locations in the vicinity of the Alyeska Marine Terminal (AMT), Port Valdez, and surrounding waters in order to construct a history of any hydrocarbon contamination that may have occurred due to the ballast water treatment plant (BWTP) discharge,? AMT operations and associated tanker traffic, and other anthropogenic sources.

This is a summary by the Council’s Scientific Advisory Committee of the report “Stability and Resurfacing of Dispersed Oil” by Merv Fingas.

There is an extensive body of literature on surfactants and interfacial chemistry, which includes an abundance of experimental data on the topic as well as many theoretical approaches to it.

A Summary of the report ?Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Neocalanus Copepods in Port Valdez, Alaska?

This paper reviews three topics: the potential for formation and the stability of water-in oil states (emulsions) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) oils, the change in the lightness or heaviness of these oils, and the report prepared by S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd. on these first two topics.

To determine if the treated ballast water effluent affects the zooplankton community, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in water, suspended particulate material (SPM), and Neocalanus copepods were determined throughout Port Valdez and in Prince William Sound (PWS) in April 2004.

This report is a survey of tank facilities that could be used for testing oil spill dispersants. The report begins with considerations for tank testing, followed by a list of requirements for tank testing, and data is then provided on a number of potential tanks.

To better understand the various nearshore oil spill response technique efficiency rates, the Council commissioned Nuka Research and Planning, LLC to review moderately sized spills in the United States between 1993 and 2000. The review included categorizing the responses by types, and estimating, based upon the available response information, efficiency rates for the various techniques used including dispersants and mechanical recovery.

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This paper is a summary of the effects of water salinity on chemical dispersion, especially those effects related to effectiveness.

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) discovered that the ANS crude oil used in most of the 2002 Dispersant Effectiveness Tests in Cold Water conducted at Ohmsett was heated far above ambient water temperature (32 degrees F) immediately before being dispersed with Corexit 9527 and 9500.

Weather is the single most important factor in choosing and obtaining success with oil spill countermeasures, such as mechanical recovery, chemical dispersants, and in-situ burning.

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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.

This report contains the transcriptions of tape-recorded notes and observations completed by Dr. James Payne during a PWSRCAC-sponsored field audit of the 13-16 October 2003 heavy fuel oil dispersant tests completed by SL Ross and Alun Lewis Consultancy at the MMS OHMSETT facilities in Leonardo, New Jersey.

This paper is a review of field monitoring of the effectiveness of oil spill dispersants.

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.

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This white paper is a perspective on testing the effectiveness of oil spill dispersants in large tanks. Literature that relates to testing methodology is reviewed.

This paper is a review of the literature on oil spill dispersants published from 1997 to January, 2002. As in the literature before this time period, it was found that results are often contradictory from one study to another. The paper also identifies and summarizes recent advances in dispersant effectiveness, toxicity, and application technology.

This report gives an account of Cold-Water Dispersant tests that took place at the Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank in Leonardo, New Jersey in March of 2002.

This study investigated the photoenhanced toxicity of weathered ANS to eggs and larvae of the Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), and the relative toxicity of chemically-dispersed and aqueous phase oil.

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The effect of various states of weather: no weather, 205 evaporatively weathered, and emulsification on the effectiveness of oil dispersants Corexit 9527 and Corexit 9550 in dispersing Alaska North Slope Crude oil into the water column was tested at a combination of realistic subarctic salinities and temperatures.

This report examines the potential for photoenhanced toxicity of spilled oil in Prince William Sound and associated Gulf of Alaska waters. Photoenhanced toxicity is the increase in the toxicity of a chemical in the presence of ultraviolet light (UV), compared to a standard laboratory test conducted with fluorescent lighting (minimal UV). Oil products and weathered oil are phototoxic, as are specific polycyclic aromatic compounds present in oil. Photoenhanced toxicity may occur through two processes: photomodification and photosensitization, which are further detailed in the report.

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A caged mussel pilot study was conducted between February and April, 1997 in Port Valdez, Alaska. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using transplanted mussels to monitor effluent from the Ballast Water Treatment Facility (BWTF) at a depth of 70 meters, where mussels are not normally found. A total of 2100 Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) were transplanted from the intertidal zone in Anderson Bay to 7 stations in the vicinity of Alyeska?s BWTF effluent diffuser for a period of 56 days. The three most important questions to be answered by this study were the following: Will the mussels survive? Will the mussels grow? Will they accumulate chemicals associated with the BWTF effluent?

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The primary objective of the ongoing Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP) is to collect data to monitor hydrocarbon pollution due to the oil transportation industry in Prince William Sound and the northern Gulf of Alaska. This report is the first of over 30 years of reports on the Council’s monitoring program. Additional reports: Long-Term Environmental Monitoring …

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