MAJOR FIELD TEST EVALUATES A SHORELINE CLEANER TO SAVE OILED MARSH GRASS
| Autor: | R. R. Lessard, S. R. Pezeshki, Aroon Jugsujinda, Ronald D. DeLaune, G. P. Canevari |
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| Rok vydání: | 1997 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 1997:397-402 |
| ISSN: | 2169-3358 2169-3366 |
| DOI: | 10.7901/2169-3358-1997-1-397 |
| Popis: | Extensive greenhouse studies using intact cores of marsh vegetation including Spartina alterniflora demonstrated the potential of a shoreline cleaner (Corexit 9580) to remove oil from plant canopy. Because of these positive results, a permit to conduct a full-scale field test was obtained by Louisiana State from regulatory agencies in June 1995. Field tests were conducted in a Louisiana marsh at a wildlife refuge in August 1995. The test site contained replicated 8 ft X 8 ft test plots that included the following treatments: oiled with South Louisiana crude oil, oiled and chemically cleaned after 2 days using Corexit 9580, and control. Significant initial reductions in plant stomatal conductance, transpiration, and CO2 fixation rates in response to the “oil” and “oil + Corexit 9580” treatments were noted, which were followed by substantial recovery in the “oil + Corexit 9580” treatment. Use of the cleaner improved the survival and regeneration capability of treated plots because of the low initial mortality rates and the rapid restoration of plant gas exchange activities. Plots treated with “oil + Corexit 9580” had a significantly greater number of live shoots throughout the measurement period in 1995. Biomass harvests conducted at the end of the 1995 growing season revealed that live biomass per unit area of marsh was significantly reduced under all treatments. The second harvest in 1996 indicated that live biomass had recovered to levels close to those of control plots. Our field studies demonstrated that oil can be removed using Corexit 9580 in the field without any detectable adverse effects on plants, In addition, the beneficial effects of Corexit 9580 in rapidly restoring plant transpiration pathways under field conditions was evident. However, plants under all treatments recovered, showing that Spartina alterniflora, given adequate time, can recover from oiling with South Louisiana crude. Additional studies using more stressful oil types such as Bunker C are needed to examine the effectiveness of Corexit 9580 in cleaning plant canopies under field conditions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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