The Deepwater Horizon oil spill marine mammal injury assessment

Endangered species research

Ryan Takeshita^1¹  Tracy Collier^4²  Cynthia Smith^3³  Laurie Sullivan^2⁴  Tom Brosnan^6⁵  Lori Schwacke^8⁶  Teri Rowles^7⁷  Ailsa Hall^5⁸ 

[1] Abt Associates Inc., Boulder, CO 80302, USA^1;Joint Office for Science Support, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80301, USA^4;National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA 92106, USA^3;National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Assessment and Restoration Division, Office of Response and Restoration, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA^2;National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Assessment and Restoration Division, Office of Response and Restoration, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA^6;National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Charleston, SC 29412, USA^8;National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA^7;Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK^5

关键词: Deepwater Horizon;    Marine mammals;    Oil;    Petroleum;    Natural Resource Damage Assessment;    Exposure;    Injury assessment;   

DOI  :  10.3354/esr00808

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

From 2010 to 2015, a team of scientists studied how the BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill affected marine mammals inhabiting the northern Gulf of Mexico, as part of the DWH Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. The scientists conducted the assessment on behalf of the DWH co-Trustees, with the purpose of investigating whether marine mammals were exposed to DWH oil and what types of injuries they suffered as a result of the DWH oil exposure, and then quantifying those injuries to determine the appropriate amount of restoration required to offset the injuries. Photographs, aerial surveys, spatial analyses of the co-occurrence between surface slick and cetacean populations, and chemical fingerprinting of oiled and stranded carcasses all confirm that at least 15 cetacean species were exposed to the DWH surface slick. Cetaceans that encountered the slick likely inhaled, aspirated, ingested, and/or adsorbed oil. In this Theme Section, marine mammal biologists, statisticians, veterinarians, toxicologists, and epidemiologists describe and quantify the adverse effects of this oil exposure. Taken together, this combination of oil spill dynamics, veterinary assessments, pathological, spatial, and temporal analyses of stranded animals, stock identification techniques, population dynamics, and a broad set of coordinated modeling efforts is an unprecedented assessment of how a major oil spill impacted a large and complex marine mammal community and their connected habitats.

【 授权许可】

Unknown