Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html oil in the sea III Inputs, Fates, and Effects Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects Ocean Studies Board and Marine Board Divisions of Earth and Life Studies and Transportation Research Board THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS • 500 Fifth St., N.W. • Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appro- priate balance. This report and the committee were supported by grants from the Minerals Management Service, the American Petroleum Institute, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, the Depart- ment of Energy, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Ocean Industries Association, the U.S. Navy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Oil in the sea III : inputs, fates, and effects. p. cm. “Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, Ocean Studies Board and Marine Board, Divisions of Earth and Life Studies and Transportation Research Board, National Research Council.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-309-08438-5 (hardcover) 1. Oil pollution of the sea. 2. Oil pollution of the sea—Environmental aspects. I. Title: Oil in the sea three. II. National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects. GC1085 .O435 2002 628.1′6833—dc21 2002015715 Additional copies of this report are available from: The National Academies Press 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Box 285 Washington, DC 20055 800-624-6242 202-334-3313 (in the Washington Metropolitan area) http://www.nap.edu Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineer- ing. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsi- bility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Acad- emies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. www.national-academies.org Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html COMMITTEE ON OIL IN THE SEA: INPUTS, FATES AND EFFECTS JAMES COLEMAN (Chair), Louisiana State University JOEL BAKER, University of Maryland CORT COOPER, ChevronTexaco Exploration Petroleum Technology Co. MERV FINGAS, Environment Canada GEORGE HUNT, University of California, Irvine KEITH KVENVOLDEN, U.S. Geological Survey KEITH MICHEL, Herbert Engineering Corporation JACQUELINE MICHEL, Research Planning, Inc. JUDITH McDOWELL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution JONATHAN PHINNEY, American Society of Limnology and Oceanography ROBERT POND (until October 1, 2000), U.S. Coast Guard NANCY RABALAIS, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium LARRY ROESNER, Colorado State University ROBERT B. SPIES, Applied Marine Sciences and Biomark Staff DAN WALKER, Study Director JENNIFER MERRILL, Program Officer JOHN DANDELSKI, Research Associate DENISE GREENE, Senior Project Assistant JULIE PULLEY, Project Assistant Consultants LAUREL SAITO, University of Nevada-Reno DAGMAR SCHMIDT ETKIN, Environmental Research Consulting ALEXANDER M. TAIT, Equator Graphics, Inc. JAMES MILLER, Equator Graphics, Inc. The work of this committee was overseen by the Ocean Studies Board and the Marine Board of the National Research Council. iv Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html OCEAN STUDIES BOARD NANCY RABALAIS (Chair), Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin ARTHUR BAGGEROER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge JAMES COLEMAN, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LARRY CROWDER, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina G. BRENT DALRYMPLE, Oregon State University (ret.), Corvallis RICHARD B. DERISO, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, La Jolla, California EARL DOYLE, Shell Oil (ret.), Sugar Land, Texas ROBERT DUCE, Texas A&M University, College Station WAYNE R. GEYER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts D. JAY GRIMES, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs MIRIAM KASTNER, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California CINDY LEE, State University of New York, Stony Brook RALPH S. LEWIS, Connecticut Geological Survey, Hartford BONNIE MCCAY, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey JULIAN P. MCCREARY, JR., University of Hawaii, Honolulu JACQUELINE MICHEL, Research Planning, Inc., Columbus, South Carolina RAM MOHAN, Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland SCOTT NIXON, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett JON G. SUTINEN, University of Rhode Island, Kingston NANCY TARGETT, University of Delaware, Lewes PAUL TOBIN, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Fairfax, Virginia Staff MORGAN GOPNIK, Director SUSAN ROBERTS, Senior Program Officer DAN WALKER, Senior Program Officer JOANNE BINTZ, Program Officer JENNIFER MERRILL, Program Officer TERRY SCHAEFER, Program Officer ROBIN MORRIS, Financial Officer JOHN DANDELSKI, Research Associate SHIREL SMITH, Administrative Associate JODI BACHIM, Senior Project Assistant NANCY CAPUTO, Senior Project Assistant DENISE GREENE, Senior Project Assistant SARAH CAPOTE, Project Assistant BYRON MASON, Project Assistant JULIE PULLEY, Project Assistant ALISON SCHRUM, Project Assistant v Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html MARINE BOARD RADOJE (ROD) VULOVIC (Chair) U.S. Ship Management, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina R. KEITH MICHEL (Vice Chair) Herbert Engineering Corp., Alameda, California PETER F. BONTADELLI, PFB and Associates, Citrus Heights, California BILIANA CICIN-SAIN, Marine Policy Center, Newark, Delaware BILLY L. EDGE, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas PETER J. FINNERTY, American Ocean Enterprises, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland MARTHA GRABOWSKI, LeMoyne College, Cazenovia, New York RODNEY GREGORY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, Fairfax, Virginia I. BERNARD JACOBSON, IBJ Associates, Shelter Island Heights, New York GERALDINE KNATZ, Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, California SALLY ANN LENTZ, Ocean Advocates, Clarksville, Maryland PHILIP LI-FAN LIU, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York RADM MALCOLM MACKINNON, III, MSCL, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia REGINALD McKAMIE, Houston, Texas SPYROS P. PAVLOU, URS Corporation, Seattle, Washington CRAIG E. PHILIP, Ingram Barge Company, Nashville, Tennessee EDWIN J. ROLAND, Elmer-Roland Maritime Consultants, Houston, Texas E. G. “SKIP” WARD, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas DAVID J. WISCH, Exploration and Production Technology Company, Bellaire, Texas Staff JOEDY W. CAMBRIDGE, Director BEVERLY HUEY, Senior Staff Officer PETER JOHNSON, Consultant BRIE SCHWARTZ, Staff Assistant MARY KISSI, Staff Assistant vi Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html Acknowledgments The committee offers thanks to the large number of indi- as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional viduals who provided information and insights. Their assis- standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to tance was critical for the success of this report. In particular, the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript the committee would like to thank J. Aspland, California remain confidential to protect the integrity of the delibera- Maritime Academy; P. Montagna, University of Texas; tive process. We wish to thank the following individuals for M. Kennicutt, Texas A&M University; M. Fry, U. of Cali- their review of this report: fornia, Davis; J. Cimato, MMS; M. Meza, U.S. Coast Guard; Thomas D. Barrow, Thomson-Barrow Corporation, Hous- M. Mair and S. Harris, U.S.S. Mississinewa Reunion Group; ton, Texas H. Roberts, Louisiana State University; I. MacDonald, Texas Sue Bucheger, Mercury Marine, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin A&M University; J. Everett, Earth Satellite Corporation; Charles Cox, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Di- D. Buthman, Unocal; A. Lugo-Fernandez, MMS; J. Clark, ego, California U. of California, Santa Barbara; D. French, Applied Science John Farrington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Associates, Inc.; G. Rainey and D. Panzer of the MMS; Massachusetts D. Hale, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality; Bill Lehr, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- J. Neff, Battelle Laboratories; L.Young, ChevronTexaco; tion, Seattle, Washington A. Glickman, ChevronTexaco; W. Gala, ChevronTexaco; Al Maki, Exxon Mobil, Anchorage, Alaska B. Richarson, ChevronTexaco; T. Suchan; U.S. Census Robert Pitt, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Bureau, J. Ray, Shell Global Solutions; S. Merritt, Dragos Rauta, INTERTANKO, Oslo, Norway ChevronTexaco; O. Johansen, Sintef; W. Lehr, A. Mearns, Jeep Rice, NOAA Auke Bay Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska J. Short, and S. Rice, NOAA; J. Corps, AEA Technology; John A. Wiens, Colorado State University, Fort Collins E. Ranheim, International Association of Independent Tanker Operators (INTERTANKO). Although the reviewers listed above have provided many The committee offers thanks the U.S. Coast Guard and constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked Minerals Management Service for their help in obtaining to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they spill data used in this study. Cheryl Anderson of Minerals see the final draft of the report before its release. The review Management Service, deserves special thanks. Without of this report was overseen by John Bailar, University of Cheryl’s ongoing efforts to maintain the Outer Continental Chicago, (report review monitor) and Andrew Solow, Woods Spills database, many of the results presented here would Hole Oceanographic Institution, (report review coordinator). not be possible. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were re- This report has been reviewed in draft form by individu- sponsible for making certain that an independent examina- als chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical exper- tion of this report was carried out in accordance with institu- tise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s tional procedures and that all review comments were Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of review is to provide candid and critical comments that will this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and assist the institution in making its published report as sound the institution. vii Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10388.html EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix Preface In the 1970s scientists began to realize that a significant Navy, the American Petroleum Institute, and the National quantity of pollutants were being discharged into marine Ocean Industries Association. waters worldwide, but very little quantitative data on the A committee of fourteen scientists and engineers, repre- volume of discharges were available. Realizing the potential senting a wide range of technical backgrounds, was ap- danger to sensitive estuarine and marine habitats, the NRC pointed by the National Research Council to prepare the re- organized a workshop in 1973, bringing together scientists quested report. In addition to simply acquiring and analyzing from a variety of backgrounds to address the problem of the data, the committee was charged to document the meth- petroleum hydrocarbon discharge into the marine environ- odology utilized in preparing the calculated discharges and ment. This workshop culminated in a report in 1975 by the to verify the databases acquired. This report, hopefully, will National Research Council entitled Petroleum in the Marine serve as a baseline and guide for future studies. It is the Environment. One of the major findings of the report was committee’s opinion that the inputs computed are based on recognition that there was a significant lack of systematic the latest analysis techniques and utilized the best quantita- data concerning petroleum hydrocarbon discharges. The re- tive data available from a wide-range of existing databases. port, lacking significant quantitative data, was based on esti- Even though direct comparisons with the earlier reports are mates and in some instances, educated guesses. Even though difficult to ascertain because of use of differing computa- lacking substantial quantitative data, the report generated tional techniques, it is apparent that even though some considerable interest and was well-received by industry, gov- sources of inputs have decreased in the twenty-year period, ernment agencies, and scientists. Ten years later, the U.S. discharges from land-based sources, two-stroke engines, and Coast Guard requested that the Ocean Sciences Board of the tank vessel spills still represent a considerable volume of National Research Council update this report, using data that discharge of petroleum hydrocarbons into the sea. These dis- had been acquired in the preceding ten years. Forty-six ex- charges are released directly into the ecologically sensitive perts were invited to prepare summary reports on all aspects coastal estuarine environments and are a major concern. It is of petroleum hydrocarbon discharges into the marine envi- hoped that this report will help bring attention to this issue ronment and to evaluate the fates and effects of these dis- and encourage policymakers to explore a variety of options charges. The resulting report, entitled Oil in the Sea: Inputs, for reducing these discharges. Fates and Effects, was published in 1985. This report has I wish to thank the committee members for their dedica- served as the seminal publication documenting petroleum tion and hard work during the preparation of the report. Their pollution in the world’s oceans. insistence on maintaining a high level of quality throughout Realizing that a considerable amount of data had been the analysis and interpretation process has resulted in what I accumulated in the past fifteen years, the Minerals Manage- believe is a scientifically sound report. The Study Director, ment Service (MMS) approached the Ocean Studies Board Dr. Dan Walker, did an outstanding job of steering the com- to undertake an update of the 1985 report. Financial support mittee to maintain focus on the statement of tasks, insisting was obtained from the Minerals Management Service, the on staying on schedule, and providing a balanced approach U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Energy, the En- to the final report. I would like to personally thank him for vironmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and At- his professionalism. I would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer mospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Merrill, who worked closely with and guided the committee ix Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.