Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects (No. 3)

278 Pages·2003·14.49 MB·English

by  National Research Council, Fates, and Effects Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs

oil
in the
sea III
Inputs,
Fates,
and
Effects
Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects
Ocean Studies Board and Marine Board
Divisions of Earth and Life Studies and Transportation Research Board
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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priate balance.
This report and the committee were supported by grants from the Minerals Management Service, the
American Petroleum Institute, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, the Depart-
ment of Energy, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Ocean Industries Association, the U.S. Navy, and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The views expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Oil in the sea III : inputs, fates, and effects.
p. cm.
“Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, Ocean Studies
Board and Marine Board, Divisions of Earth and Life Studies and
Transportation Research Board, National Research Council.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-309-08438-5 (hardcover)
1. Oil pollution of the sea. 2. Oil pollution of the
sea—Environmental aspects. I. Title: Oil in the sea three. II.
National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs,
Fates, and Effects.
GC1085 .O435 2002
628.1′6833—dc21
2002015715
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COMMITTEE ON OIL IN THE SEA: INPUTS, FATES AND EFFECTS
JAMES COLEMAN (Chair), Louisiana State University
JOEL BAKER, University of Maryland
CORT COOPER, ChevronTexaco Exploration Petroleum Technology Co.
MERV FINGAS, Environment Canada
GEORGE HUNT, University of California, Irvine
KEITH KVENVOLDEN, U.S. Geological Survey
KEITH MICHEL, Herbert Engineering Corporation
JACQUELINE MICHEL, Research Planning, Inc.
JUDITH McDOWELL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
JONATHAN PHINNEY, American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
ROBERT POND (until October 1, 2000), U.S. Coast Guard
NANCY RABALAIS, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
LARRY ROESNER, Colorado State University
ROBERT B. SPIES, Applied Marine Sciences and Biomark
Staff
DAN WALKER, Study Director
JENNIFER MERRILL, Program Officer
JOHN DANDELSKI, Research Associate
DENISE GREENE, Senior Project Assistant
JULIE PULLEY, Project Assistant
Consultants
LAUREL SAITO, University of Nevada-Reno
DAGMAR SCHMIDT ETKIN, Environmental Research Consulting
ALEXANDER M. TAIT, Equator Graphics, Inc.
JAMES MILLER, Equator Graphics, Inc.
The work of this committee was overseen by the Ocean Studies Board and the Marine Board
of the National Research Council.
iv
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
NANCY RABALAIS (Chair), Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin
ARTHUR BAGGEROER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
JAMES COLEMAN, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
LARRY CROWDER, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina
G. BRENT DALRYMPLE, Oregon State University (ret.), Corvallis
RICHARD B. DERISO, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, La Jolla, California
EARL DOYLE, Shell Oil (ret.), Sugar Land, Texas
ROBERT DUCE, Texas A&M University, College Station
WAYNE R. GEYER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
D. JAY GRIMES, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs
MIRIAM KASTNER, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
CINDY LEE, State University of New York, Stony Brook
RALPH S. LEWIS, Connecticut Geological Survey, Hartford
BONNIE MCCAY, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
JULIAN P. MCCREARY, JR., University of Hawaii, Honolulu
JACQUELINE MICHEL, Research Planning, Inc., Columbus, South Carolina
RAM MOHAN, Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland
SCOTT NIXON, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett
JON G. SUTINEN, University of Rhode Island, Kingston
NANCY TARGETT, University of Delaware, Lewes
PAUL TOBIN, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Fairfax, Virginia
Staff
MORGAN GOPNIK, Director
SUSAN ROBERTS, Senior Program Officer
DAN WALKER, Senior Program Officer
JOANNE BINTZ, Program Officer
JENNIFER MERRILL, Program Officer
TERRY SCHAEFER, Program Officer
ROBIN MORRIS, Financial Officer
JOHN DANDELSKI, Research Associate
SHIREL SMITH, Administrative Associate
JODI BACHIM, Senior Project Assistant
NANCY CAPUTO, Senior Project Assistant
DENISE GREENE, Senior Project Assistant
SARAH CAPOTE, Project Assistant
BYRON MASON, Project Assistant
JULIE PULLEY, Project Assistant
ALISON SCHRUM, Project Assistant
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MARINE BOARD
RADOJE (ROD) VULOVIC (Chair) U.S. Ship Management, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
R. KEITH MICHEL (Vice Chair) Herbert Engineering Corp., Alameda, California
PETER F. BONTADELLI, PFB and Associates, Citrus Heights, California
BILIANA CICIN-SAIN, Marine Policy Center, Newark, Delaware
BILLY L. EDGE, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
PETER J. FINNERTY, American Ocean Enterprises, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland
MARTHA GRABOWSKI, LeMoyne College, Cazenovia, New York
RODNEY GREGORY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, Fairfax, Virginia
I. BERNARD JACOBSON, IBJ Associates, Shelter Island Heights, New York
GERALDINE KNATZ, Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, California
SALLY ANN LENTZ, Ocean Advocates, Clarksville, Maryland
PHILIP LI-FAN LIU, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
RADM MALCOLM MACKINNON, III, MSCL, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia
REGINALD McKAMIE, Houston, Texas
SPYROS P. PAVLOU, URS Corporation, Seattle, Washington
CRAIG E. PHILIP, Ingram Barge Company, Nashville, Tennessee
EDWIN J. ROLAND, Elmer-Roland Maritime Consultants, Houston, Texas
E. G. “SKIP” WARD, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
DAVID J. WISCH, Exploration and Production Technology Company, Bellaire, Texas
Staff
JOEDY W. CAMBRIDGE, Director
BEVERLY HUEY, Senior Staff Officer
PETER JOHNSON, Consultant
BRIE SCHWARTZ, Staff Assistant
MARY KISSI, Staff Assistant
vi
Acknowledgments
The committee offers thanks to the large number of indi- as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional
viduals who provided information and insights. Their assis- standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to
tance was critical for the success of this report. In particular, the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript
the committee would like to thank J. Aspland, California remain confidential to protect the integrity of the delibera-
Maritime Academy; P. Montagna, University of Texas; tive process. We wish to thank the following individuals for
M. Kennicutt, Texas A&M University; M. Fry, U. of Cali- their review of this report:
fornia, Davis; J. Cimato, MMS; M. Meza, U.S. Coast Guard;
Thomas D. Barrow, Thomson-Barrow Corporation, Hous-
M. Mair and S. Harris, U.S.S. Mississinewa Reunion Group;
ton, Texas
H. Roberts, Louisiana State University; I. MacDonald, Texas
Sue Bucheger, Mercury Marine, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
A&M University; J. Everett, Earth Satellite Corporation;
Charles Cox, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Di-
D. Buthman, Unocal; A. Lugo-Fernandez, MMS; J. Clark,
ego, California
U. of California, Santa Barbara; D. French, Applied Science
John Farrington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Associates, Inc.; G. Rainey and D. Panzer of the MMS;
Massachusetts
D. Hale, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality;
Bill Lehr, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
J. Neff, Battelle Laboratories; L.Young, ChevronTexaco;
tion, Seattle, Washington
A. Glickman, ChevronTexaco; W. Gala, ChevronTexaco;
Al Maki, Exxon Mobil, Anchorage, Alaska
B. Richarson, ChevronTexaco; T. Suchan; U.S. Census
Robert Pitt, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Bureau, J. Ray, Shell Global Solutions; S. Merritt,
Dragos Rauta, INTERTANKO, Oslo, Norway
ChevronTexaco; O. Johansen, Sintef; W. Lehr, A. Mearns,
Jeep Rice, NOAA Auke Bay Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska
J. Short, and S. Rice, NOAA; J. Corps, AEA Technology;
John A. Wiens, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
E. Ranheim, International Association of Independent
Tanker Operators (INTERTANKO). Although the reviewers listed above have provided many
The committee offers thanks the U.S. Coast Guard and constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked
Minerals Management Service for their help in obtaining to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they
spill data used in this study. Cheryl Anderson of Minerals see the final draft of the report before its release. The review
Management Service, deserves special thanks. Without of this report was overseen by John Bailar, University of
Cheryl’s ongoing efforts to maintain the Outer Continental Chicago, (report review monitor) and Andrew Solow, Woods
Spills database, many of the results presented here would Hole Oceanographic Institution, (report review coordinator).
not be possible. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were re-
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individu- sponsible for making certain that an independent examina-
als chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical exper- tion of this report was carried out in accordance with institu-
tise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s tional procedures and that all review comments were
Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of
review is to provide candid and critical comments that will this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and
assist the institution in making its published report as sound the institution.
vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix
Preface
In the 1970s scientists began to realize that a significant Navy, the American Petroleum Institute, and the National
quantity of pollutants were being discharged into marine Ocean Industries Association.
waters worldwide, but very little quantitative data on the A committee of fourteen scientists and engineers, repre-
volume of discharges were available. Realizing the potential senting a wide range of technical backgrounds, was ap-
danger to sensitive estuarine and marine habitats, the NRC pointed by the National Research Council to prepare the re-
organized a workshop in 1973, bringing together scientists quested report. In addition to simply acquiring and analyzing
from a variety of backgrounds to address the problem of the data, the committee was charged to document the meth-
petroleum hydrocarbon discharge into the marine environ- odology utilized in preparing the calculated discharges and
ment. This workshop culminated in a report in 1975 by the to verify the databases acquired. This report, hopefully, will
National Research Council entitled Petroleum in the Marine serve as a baseline and guide for future studies. It is the
Environment. One of the major findings of the report was committee’s opinion that the inputs computed are based on
recognition that there was a significant lack of systematic the latest analysis techniques and utilized the best quantita-
data concerning petroleum hydrocarbon discharges. The re- tive data available from a wide-range of existing databases.
port, lacking significant quantitative data, was based on esti- Even though direct comparisons with the earlier reports are
mates and in some instances, educated guesses. Even though difficult to ascertain because of use of differing computa-
lacking substantial quantitative data, the report generated tional techniques, it is apparent that even though some
considerable interest and was well-received by industry, gov- sources of inputs have decreased in the twenty-year period,
ernment agencies, and scientists. Ten years later, the U.S. discharges from land-based sources, two-stroke engines, and
Coast Guard requested that the Ocean Sciences Board of the tank vessel spills still represent a considerable volume of
National Research Council update this report, using data that discharge of petroleum hydrocarbons into the sea. These dis-
had been acquired in the preceding ten years. Forty-six ex- charges are released directly into the ecologically sensitive
perts were invited to prepare summary reports on all aspects coastal estuarine environments and are a major concern. It is
of petroleum hydrocarbon discharges into the marine envi- hoped that this report will help bring attention to this issue
ronment and to evaluate the fates and effects of these dis- and encourage policymakers to explore a variety of options
charges. The resulting report, entitled Oil in the Sea: Inputs, for reducing these discharges.
Fates and Effects, was published in 1985. This report has I wish to thank the committee members for their dedica-
served as the seminal publication documenting petroleum tion and hard work during the preparation of the report. Their
pollution in the world’s oceans. insistence on maintaining a high level of quality throughout
Realizing that a considerable amount of data had been the analysis and interpretation process has resulted in what I
accumulated in the past fifteen years, the Minerals Manage- believe is a scientifically sound report. The Study Director,
ment Service (MMS) approached the Ocean Studies Board Dr. Dan Walker, did an outstanding job of steering the com-
to undertake an update of the 1985 report. Financial support mittee to maintain focus on the statement of tasks, insisting
was obtained from the Minerals Management Service, the on staying on schedule, and providing a balanced approach
U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Energy, the En- to the final report. I would like to personally thank him for
vironmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and At- his professionalism. I would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer
mospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Merrill, who worked closely with and guided the committee
ix