Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled up to 750,000 barrels of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters. The Valdez spill was the largest ever in US waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume released. However, Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by helicopter, plane, and boat, made government and industry response efforts difficult and severely taxed existing plans for response. The region is a habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals and seabirds. The oil, originally extracted at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean. Bruce Wright was the Chief of NOAA's Office of Damage Assessment and Restoration and managed a wide range of scientific investigation.Watch the 60 Minutes coverage 10 years after the spill: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6518027n
Publications:
Sumida, S. and B. Wright: Alaskan waters become the battleground– again. 2010. The Circle: Ocean acidification threatening our oceans. Vol. 4. Page 10. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/files/thecircle0410.pdf
Okey, T.A. and B.A. Wright. 2005. Sufficient fuel taxes would enhance ecologies, economies, and communities. Ecological Economics 53 (2005) 1– 4.
Wright, B.A. and T.A. Okey. 2004. Creating a sustainable future? Science 304(5679):1903.
Okey, T. A. and B. A. Wright. 2004. Toward ecosystem-based extraction policies for Prince William Sound, Alaska: integrating conflicting objectives and rebuilding pinnipeds. Bulletin of Marine Science. 74(3): 727-747.
Wright, B.A., J. W. Short, T. J. Weingartner, P. J. Anderson. 2000. The Gulf of Alaska. In: Seas at the Millennium: An Environmental Evaluation. Ed. C. Sheppard. Elsevier Science Ltd.
Wright, B.A. 2000. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Response, Damage Assessment, Restoration and Continued Effects. pages 55-61. in: What Should We Learn from Oil Spills? Preparatory Committee for the Japan Environmental Disaster Information Center, Global Environment Information Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Short, J.W., K. A. Kvenvolden, and B.A. Wright. 2000. Response to Comment on “Natural Hydrocarbon Background in Benthic Sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs. Coal.” Environmental Science and Technology. 34, 2066-2067.
Wright, B.A. 1999. The Alaska Predator Ecosystem Experiment (APEX): An integrated seabird and forage fish investigation sponsored by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. PICES Press Vol. 7 No. 2.
Short, J.W., K. A. Kvenvolden, and B.A. Wright. 1999. Natural Hydrocarbon Background in Benthic Sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs. Coal. Environmental Science and Technology. 33, 34-42.
Rice, S.D., R.B. Spies, D.A. Wolfe, and B.A. Wright (Eds.). 1996. Exxon Valdez oil spill symposium proceedings. American Fisheries Society Symposium Number 18.
Loughlin, T.R., B.E. Ballachey, and B.A. Wright. 1996. Overview of Studies to Determine Injury to Marine Mammals Caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. in Rice, S.D., R.B. Spies, D.A. Wolfe, and B.A. Wright (Eds.). 1995. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium Proceedings. American Fisheries Society Symposium Number 18.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. 1994. Proceedings of the Workshop; Science for the Restoration Process, Anchorage, AK, April 13-25, 1994. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees, 645 G Street, Anchorage, AK.110 pages.
Rice, S.D., B.A. Wright, J.W. Short, and C.E. O'Clair. 1993. Subtidal Oil Contamination and Biological Impacts. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. 356 pp. Oil Spill Public Information Center, 645 G Street, Anchorage, AK.
Publications:
Sumida, S. and B. Wright: Alaskan waters become the battleground– again. 2010. The Circle: Ocean acidification threatening our oceans. Vol. 4. Page 10. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/files/thecircle0410.pdf
Okey, T.A. and B.A. Wright. 2005. Sufficient fuel taxes would enhance ecologies, economies, and communities. Ecological Economics 53 (2005) 1– 4.
Wright, B.A. and T.A. Okey. 2004. Creating a sustainable future? Science 304(5679):1903.
Okey, T. A. and B. A. Wright. 2004. Toward ecosystem-based extraction policies for Prince William Sound, Alaska: integrating conflicting objectives and rebuilding pinnipeds. Bulletin of Marine Science. 74(3): 727-747.
Wright, B.A., J. W. Short, T. J. Weingartner, P. J. Anderson. 2000. The Gulf of Alaska. In: Seas at the Millennium: An Environmental Evaluation. Ed. C. Sheppard. Elsevier Science Ltd.
Wright, B.A. 2000. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Response, Damage Assessment, Restoration and Continued Effects. pages 55-61. in: What Should We Learn from Oil Spills? Preparatory Committee for the Japan Environmental Disaster Information Center, Global Environment Information Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Short, J.W., K. A. Kvenvolden, and B.A. Wright. 2000. Response to Comment on “Natural Hydrocarbon Background in Benthic Sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs. Coal.” Environmental Science and Technology. 34, 2066-2067.
Wright, B.A. 1999. The Alaska Predator Ecosystem Experiment (APEX): An integrated seabird and forage fish investigation sponsored by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. PICES Press Vol. 7 No. 2.
Short, J.W., K. A. Kvenvolden, and B.A. Wright. 1999. Natural Hydrocarbon Background in Benthic Sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs. Coal. Environmental Science and Technology. 33, 34-42.
Rice, S.D., R.B. Spies, D.A. Wolfe, and B.A. Wright (Eds.). 1996. Exxon Valdez oil spill symposium proceedings. American Fisheries Society Symposium Number 18.
Loughlin, T.R., B.E. Ballachey, and B.A. Wright. 1996. Overview of Studies to Determine Injury to Marine Mammals Caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. in Rice, S.D., R.B. Spies, D.A. Wolfe, and B.A. Wright (Eds.). 1995. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium Proceedings. American Fisheries Society Symposium Number 18.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. 1994. Proceedings of the Workshop; Science for the Restoration Process, Anchorage, AK, April 13-25, 1994. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees, 645 G Street, Anchorage, AK.110 pages.
Rice, S.D., B.A. Wright, J.W. Short, and C.E. O'Clair. 1993. Subtidal Oil Contamination and Biological Impacts. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Symposium. 356 pp. Oil Spill Public Information Center, 645 G Street, Anchorage, AK.