Presentation
Oil Spill Effects Literature Synthesis of Spills Greater than 500 Barrels: Marine and Coastal Birds
DescriptionMarine and coastal birds are often heavily impacted and experience high acute mortality, as their habitat usage (e.g., rafting, foraging, nesting, plunge-diving, chick-rearing, scavenging) overlaps nearly completely with habitats that are most likely to be oiled and where oil tends to persist. The degree and severity of impacts from an oil spill depends on numerous factors, though the four leading factors that contribute to the magnitude of impacts from spills on marine and coastal birds are: spill location, spill volume, spill type, and season.
Years to recovery ranged from zero to 25 years and were longest for waterfowl (harlequin duck and Barrow’s goldeneye), seabirds (pigeon guillemot and common murre), shorebirds (black oystercatcher), and diving birds (brown pelican). Long-term impacts were manifested in three categories: 1) chronic persistence of oil, where biological exposures and population impacts were evident in several species closely associated with shallow sediments; 2) delayed population impacts due to sublethal doses resulting in compromised health, growth, and reproduction; and 3) indirect effects of trophic and interaction cascades inducing impacts well beyond the acute-phase mortality. Perhaps the most critical determinant for long-term recovery for birds is that, under specific circumstances, intertidal or subtidal foraging species may be exposed to lingering oil for years to decades post-spill.
Years to recovery ranged from zero to 25 years and were longest for waterfowl (harlequin duck and Barrow’s goldeneye), seabirds (pigeon guillemot and common murre), shorebirds (black oystercatcher), and diving birds (brown pelican). Long-term impacts were manifested in three categories: 1) chronic persistence of oil, where biological exposures and population impacts were evident in several species closely associated with shallow sediments; 2) delayed population impacts due to sublethal doses resulting in compromised health, growth, and reproduction; and 3) indirect effects of trophic and interaction cascades inducing impacts well beyond the acute-phase mortality. Perhaps the most critical determinant for long-term recovery for birds is that, under specific circumstances, intertidal or subtidal foraging species may be exposed to lingering oil for years to decades post-spill.
Authors
Event Type
Paper
TimeWednesday, May 15th10:40am - 11:00am CDT
Location298-299
Restoration