Heavily Oiled Salt Marsh following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Ecological Comparisons of Shoreline Cleanup Treatments and Recovery

摘要: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected hundreds of kilometers coastal wetland shorelines, including salt marshes with persistent heavy oiling that required intensive shoreline “cleanup” treatment. Oiled marsh treatment involves a delicate balance among: removing oil, speeding the degradation remaining protecting wildlife, fostering habitat recovery, and not causing further ecological damage To examine effectiveness effects during emergency response, characteristics parameters were compared over two years among heavily oiled test plots subject to: manual treatment, mechanical natural recovery (no control), as well adjacent reference conditions. An additional experiment areas without vegetation planting following Negative on vegetation, intertidal invertebrates, erosion observed. In conditions negative for most did considerably improve years. Both effective at improving characteristics, beginning process, though was complete by Mechanical had mixing into soils accelerating erosion. Manual appeared to strike right between while detrimental effects. However, even these improvements, periwinkle snails showed minimal signs through years, suggesting some ecosystem components may lag recovery. Planting quickened reduced Faced comparable in future, we would recommend followed planting. We caution against use methods lesser oiling. controls “set-asides”) are essential judging effects; their when applying methods.