The Exxon Valdez oil spill: initial environmental impact assessment

The response to the oil spill arising from the grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alas., on March 24 1989, is assessed, with particular reference to the initial environmental assessment programme initiated by the Exxon Company immediately after the spill. A team including ecologists, biologists and marine and hydrocarbon chemists conducted a field study of spill impacts and recovery rates, resulting in more than 45,000 separate samples of water, sediments and biota by the end of 1989. Updating of data to the present indicated levels of aromatic hydrocarbons in Prince William Sound well below those known to cause acute and chronic effects to aquatic life. Further evidence of rapid biological recovery is discussed.