Oils Spills in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine

Sanctuary

2. Sanctuaries map

3. SE Farallon Island

4. Seals on island

5. Sea Star

slide66. Fish

7. Oil

Oil = decomposed fossils

Types of Oil

• Carbon-Hydrogen Chains– 1-4 carbons light hydrocarbons, ex. Methane (CH4)

– 4-14 carbons naptha ==> gasoline

– 12-15 carbons kerosene ==> jet aircraft fuel

– 15-25 carbons gas oil ==> heating oil and bunker fuel

– >25 carbons residual oils

• Carbon-Hydrogen Rings = Aromatics– Benzene C6H6

– Toluene C6H5CH3

– Xylenes C6H4(CH3 ) 2==> polyester

C H

H

H

H

H

H

HH

H

H

C

C CC

CC

Sources of Oil in the Marine Environment

• Natural oil seeps

• Oil exploration and production

• Industrial Discharge

• Urban Runoff (highways, oil changes)

• Vessel Operations (leaks, cleaning)

• Accidental Big Spills

10. Shipping lanes

800 - 1,100 Oil Tankers Annually Enter San Francisco Bay

11. Container ship

12. Fishing ships

13. Cruise liner

14. T/V Puerto Rican

15. Puerto Rican with oil

16. Puerto Rican with Coast Guard

17 Burnt Puerto Rican

18. Oil sheen on water

19. Ship location

San FranciscoFarallon Islands

Bodega Bay

Site of Explosion

Towed Here

20. Puerto Rican escorted

21. Coast Guard helicopter

22. Oil near Farallon Islands

23. Mr. Clean

What Happens to Spilled Oil?

Image from The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd

25. Dispersion

Dispersant molecules attach to both water and oil

Wind and waves break the slick apart, mixing the oil into the water.

26. Elephant Seal

27. Oiled Seal lions

28. Oil slick

29.PlanktonPhytoplanktonless than 0.1 mm in size

Krill, about 2 cm long

30 Common Murres

31. Oiled Murre

32. Feather

33. Oiled Sanderlings

34. Mobile Vet Lab

35 Common Murres

36. Assorted shorebirds

37. Map of PR oil

San FranciscoFarallon Islands

Bodega Bay

Site of sunken stern

day 10

day 6 day 5

day 9

day 7

day 4

38. Oil boom in intertidal

39. Bodega Harbor

40. Oil boom protecting wetlands

41. PR at GG Bridge

42. Oil Sheen

Major Oil Spills in the Gulf of the

Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

• 1984 PUERTO RICAN 1.4 million gal• 1986 APEX HOUSTON 20,000 gal• 1996 CAPE MOHICAN 42,000-50,000 gal• 1997-98 Point Reyes Tarball Incident• 1998 COMMAND 2,500 gal• 2001-02 sunken J. LUCKENBACH unknown

• 3 quarts per oil change 4 times per year is how many gallons?

44. Murre Restoration

45. Tarball and scale

46. Tarball at Limantour

47. Sinking oil rig off of Brazil

48. Volunteers

49. Surveyor

50. Oil sheen on Agate Beach

51. Oiled feather sampling

52. Sea Siren Grounding

53. Sunset