Oil Penetration and Vegetation Recovery in Lajas Creek Marsh, Puerto Rico

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 545-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Zengel ◽  
Miles O. Hayes ◽  
Brad Benggio ◽  
Felix Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Fill Material ◽  
Animal Burrows ◽  
Geomorphic Features ◽  
Marsh Sediments ◽  
Oil Penetration

ABSTRACT In September 1998, during Hurricane Georges, 5,000–10,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil were released from a refinery, oiling freshwater marshes along Lajas Creek near Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Aggressive cleanup actions were taken to protect downstream areas including placement of fill material to access the marsh, limited mechanical scraping and excavation of vegetation and sediments, cutting of oiled vegetation, and dragging of sorbents across the marsh by hand. It was thought at the time that oil would not penetrate the marsh sediments and that the vegetation would recover within 3 months. During irregular site visits from October 1998 through July 2000, the authors checked for the presence/absence of subsurface oiling and made simple field observations of vegetation establishment. Fresh black oil was found in creek levee sediments down to the water table, as deep as 60 cm. The oil penetrated the sediments through root channels, animal burrows, and perhaps desiccation cracks in the clay soils. In wetter, nonlevee sediments, oil was mixed into the substrate, possibly by foot depressions, to 15 cm below the surface. A buried layer of fresh oil also was found under fill material. Penetration of oil into marsh sediments likely was related to the type of marsh and geomorphic features present at the site. In January 1999, revegetation from seed was underway in some areas, although the visual appearance of plant cover and height was less than that observed in nonoiled areas and several large areas lacked vegetation. By July 2000, the vegetation appeared recovered in terms of visual appearance. Though plant recovery probably took more than twice as long as predicted, vegetation recovery time was relatively normal, perhaps even rapid, compared to temperate zone marshes.

Impacts of erosion control treatments on native vegetation recovery after severe wildfire in the Eastern Cascades, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich K. Dodson ◽  
David W. Peterson ◽  
Richy J. Harrod
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Native Plant

Slope stabilisation treatments like mulching and seeding are used to increase soil cover and reduce runoff and erosion following severe wildfires, but may also retard native vegetation recovery. We evaluated the effects of seeding and fertilisation on the cover and richness of native and exotic plants and on individual plant species following the 2004 Pot Peak wildfire in Washington State, USA. We applied four seeding and three fertilisation treatments to experimental plots at eight burned sites in spring 2005 and surveyed vegetation during the first two growing seasons after fire. Seeding significantly reduced native non-seeded species richness and cover by the second year. Fertilisation increased native plant cover in both years, but did not affect plant species richness. Seeding and fertilisation significantly increased exotic cover, especially when applied in combination. However, exotic cover and richness were low and treatment effects were greatest in the first year. Seeding suppressed several native plant species, especially disturbance-adapted forbs. Fertilisation, in contrast, favoured several native understorey plant species but reduced tree regeneration. Seeding, even with native species, appears to interfere with the natural recovery of native vegetation whereas fertilisation increases total plant cover, primarily by facilitating native vegetation recovery.

Analyses of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Intertidal Sediments Resulting from Two Spills of No. 2 Fuel Oil in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 510-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Teal ◽  
Kathryn Burns ◽  
John Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Glass Capillary ◽  
Marsh Sediments ◽  
Insight Into

We have analyzed the two- and three-ring aromatic hydrocarbons from the Wild Harbor oil spill in September 1969 and the Winsor Cove oil spill in October 1974, in intertidal marsh sediments, using glass capillary gas-chromatographic and mass-fragmentographic analyses. Naphthalenes with 0–3 alkyl substitutions and phenanthrenes with 0–2 substitutions decreased in concentration with time in surface sediments. The more substituted aromatics decreased relatively less and in some cases actually increased in absolute concentration. The changes in composition of the aromatic fraction have potential consequences for the ecosystem and provide insight into geochemical processes of oil weathering. Key words: oil pollution, aromatic hydrocarbons; gas chromatography; gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; geochemistry; marsh; sediments; oil spills

LONG-TERM FATE AND EFFECTS OF UNTREATED THICK OIL DEPOSITS ON SALT MARSHES

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 395-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenifer M. Baker ◽  
Guzman M. Leonardo ◽  
Paul D. Bartlett ◽  
David I. Little ◽  
C. Mark Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Marsh Surface ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Tierra Del Fuego ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
The Strait Of Magellan ◽  
Oil Deposits

ABSTRACT The paper compares two case histories in which thick oil layers were deposited on salt marshes. The first concerns a spill in Milford Haven, Wales, in February 1969, which resulted in deposits of heavy fuel oil on parts of the Martinshaven marsh. The second concerns the Metula spill of light Arabian crude in the Strait of Magellan, Chile, in August 1974. Salt marshes near Puerto Espora, Tierra del Fuego, were affected by thick mousse. Following both spills, vegetation was smothered and killed. For a variety of reasons, including remoteness, there was no cleanup treatment in either case. At Martinshaven, vegetation recovery started within the first year after the spill, and was complete within 15 years. The oil layer is still clearly visible in core samples, but is not visible at the marsh surface because of sediment deposition. Samples analyzed in 1990, 22 years after the spill, were still recognizable as heavy fuel oil, albeit highly degraded. The Puerto Espora marshes were revisited in 1990 and 1991, 16 and 17 years after the spill. Mousse deposits were still visible at the surface. Samples analyzed in 1990 showed that oil beneath the surface skin of thick deposits was still quite fresh. There was no vegetation recovery in such areas. Where deposits were thinner, the mousse was well weathered and vegetation was recovering. Factors influencing recovery include oil type and weathering, oil thickness, sedimentation processes, size of area affected, and plant morphology. It is concluded that in extreme circumstances of extensive, thick oil deposits, natural recovery will take decades, so a cleanup program is likely to be justifiable. Cleanup may not be necessary for small areas of thick deposits on some marshes.

VISUAL COMPARISONS OF SELECTED SHORES AFFECTED BY THE Prestige OIL SPILL, NORTHERN SPAIN 2002–2004

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 685-688
Author(s):  
David I. Little ◽  
Bernard Fichaut
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
High Water ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Tidal Zone ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Geomorphic Features ◽  
Shoreline Dynamics ◽  
Pedestrian Traffic

ABSTRACT Walkover and photographic surveys were conducted on four occasions up to February 2004 on shorelines of Galicia, Asturias and Vizcaya that were severely affected by Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) from the November 2002 Prestige incident. The geomorphology and ecology impacts resulting from both the oil and cleanup actions were observed by experienced scientists. Some cleanup methods worked well, and environmental disturbance was minimized. However, inefficient or over-zealous treatments also occurred, particularly early in the incident response. The study showed that rocky headlands are now often clean, and that wave-cut rock platforms have been cleaned effectively by high-pressure flushing. Maritime vegetation has, however, been trampled and oiled secondarily in the supra-tidal zone. Backshore botanical impacts resulted from cleanup equipment lay-down, vehicle refueling, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic. In some cases, vegetation and often soil removal during construction of access routes across the backshore will mean permanent adverse impact. Boulder and cobble storm berms were often oil-saturated above the mean high water level. Some of these are in fact relict geomorphic features inherited from previous higher sea levels during the interglacial periods, and so natural recovery would be very slow indeed. These coarse deposits were commonly treated by inefficient storm berm relocation, although good results were also achieved elsewhere. Numerous cases were seen of underlying and non-oiled finer sediments being exposed to erosion. Vegetation and substrate impacts were most severe where oil quantities were large and cleanup protracted or imperfectly supervised. Generally, estuaries were well protected by booming, and were only slightly oiled. Sand dunes have also escaped the worst impacts of oil and intrusive cleanup. There was, however, criticism of the government's handling of offers of advice from Spanish scientists expert in shoreline dynamics. This was in contrast to the international cooperation that typified the tracking, modeling and cleanup of oil offshore. It is recommended that existing best practices (e.g. Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique; SCAT) be more widely adopted in spills with potentially prolonged and injurious shoreline cleanups.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF INFAUNAL BURROW STRUCTURE ON OIL PENETRATION INTO SEDIMENTS

1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 427-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Howard ◽  
D. I. Little
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Arenicola Marina ◽  
Infaunal Community ◽  
Subsurface Sediments ◽  
Burrow Structure ◽  
The One ◽  
Oil Penetration

ABSTRACT The presence of an infaunal burrow structure facilitated the penetration of a medium fuel oil mousse into subsurface sediments to a greater depth than similar sediments lacking a burrow structure (destroyed by digging). The increased penetration of oil appeared to be related to better drainage characteristics resulting from the burrow structure. Oil was found to penetrate burrows of all sizes down to at least 1 mm diameter. Penetration of oil into the burrows occurred within 24 hours and was accompanied by a decrease in feeding rate of the lugworm Arenicola marina, although there were no detectable toxic effects of the oil on the small-sized infaunal community during the one-month experiment. Depending on the toxic properties of the oil, reworking of oiled sediments by the infauna may return oil to the surface, thus promoting degradation.

scholarly journals Construction, Startup, Commissioning and Testing of a 240 MW Gas Turbine Spinning Reserve Power Plant, Cambalache, Puerto Rico

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil M. Parece ◽  
Septimus van der Linden ◽  
Ismael Brito Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nox Reduction ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Spinning Reserve ◽  
Power Generators ◽  
Limited Partnership ◽  
Power Stations ◽  
Balance Of Plant

The Cambalache Power Station, engineered from 1993 to 1995, and constructed from 1996 to 1997, provides the island grid of Puerto Rico with 240 MW of flexible gas turbine power. The plant, now in commercial operation, has demonstrated the capability of a steam enhanced gas turbine to provide highly efficient simple cycle base load power and spinning reserve power to an island network which cannot rely on outside power generators to supplement demand in the event of forced outages and emergencies in other power stations. The plant also demonstrates the first application of a high temperature selective catalytic reactor for NOx reduction to less than 10 ppm (No. 2 fuel oil) on a volume basis corrected to 15% O2. Finally, the installation demonstrated the benefits to the owner, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), of a turnkey contract with the entire plant, including offsite oil barge delivery facilities, water wells, and 230 kV substation, designed, supplied and installed by one contractor. The power station was engineered, constructed and started by a limited partnership led by ABB Power Generation Inc. with Metric Constructors. Civil, structural and balance of plant engineering was performed by Lockwood Greene Scott and Associates., Cambalache Limited Partnership (CLP).

Case Study: Spill of JP5 Fuel at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico, into a Basin Mangrove Forest

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-201
Author(s):  
Stephen Lehmann ◽  
Felix Lopez ◽  
Frank Csulak
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Damage Assessment ◽  
Mangrove Forest ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Mangrove Environment ◽  
The Face ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT The U.S. Roosevelt Roads Naval Station (RRNS) lies near the municipality of Ceiba on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico. On October 20, 1999, RRNS personnel reported a spill of JP5 fuel oil, which was officially determined to be 112,000 gallons. The oil spilled from a day-tank into a 50-acre basin mangrove forest and then into the northern Ensenada Harbor. Initial spill response activities by the U.S. Navy Construction Battalion (Seabees), including construction and placement of both underflow and culvert dams, were carried out in the face of an approaching hurncane. This damming effort resulted in both positive and negative consequences for the survival of the mangrove forest. In addition to the cleanup activities, the federal trustees—including the U.S. Navy (USN), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)—initiated a natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). The primary objectives of the damage assessment were to identify potential natural resources at risk, determine the horizontal extent of contamination within the basin mangrove, and document exposure and/or injuries to natural resources resulting from the spill. This paper examines the overall effectiveness of the spill response operations, discusses the difficulties in conducting cleanup activities in a basin mangrove environment, and describes coordination efforts between cleanup activities and natural resource response activities.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing of Vegetation Recovery in Grasslands After the 1988 Fires in Yellowstone National Park

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 114-125
Author(s):  
Evelyn Merrill ◽  
Ronald Marrs
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Vegetation Indices ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Burned Areas

Traditional methods for measurement of vegetative characteristics can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially across large areas. Yet such estimates are necessary to investigate the effects of large scale disturbances on ecosystem components and processes. Because foliage of plants differentially absorbs and reflects energy within the electromagnetic spectrum, one alternative for monitoring vegetation is to use remotely sensed spectral data (Tueller 1989). Spectral indices developed from field radiometric and Landsat data have been used successfully to quantify green leaf area, biomass, and total yields in relatively homogeneous fields for agronomic uses (Shibayama and Akiyama 1989), but have met with variable success in wildland situations (Pearson et aL 1976). Interference from soils (Hardinsky et al. 1984, Huete et al. 1985), weathered litter (Huete and Jackson 1987), and senesced vegetation (Sellers 1985) have diminished the relationship between green vegetation characteristics and various vegetation indices. In 1987, we found that a linear combination of Landsat Multi-spectral Scanner (MSS) band 7 and the ratio of MSS bands 6 to 4 explained 63% of the variation in green herbaceous phytomass (GHP) in sagebrush-grasslands on ungulate summer range in the northeastern portion of Yellowstone National Park (Merrill et al. 1993). The extensive fires that occurred in the Park in the summer of 1988 provided an opportunity to determine whether remote sensing could be used to estimate green phytomass in burned areas and to monitor grassland vegetation recovery in the Park after the fires. Remote sensing has previously been used to follow succession of seral stages in pine forests (Jakubauskas et al. 1990) after burning and to monitor plant cover in tundra (Hall et al. 1980) after wildfires. The objectives of our study were to: (1) develop a model for predicting GHP in sagebrush­ grassland communities using Landsat TM spectral information and field data on GHP for 2 years, (2) validate the model by comparing predictions made from the model to actual field data collected in a third year, and if successful (3) compare initial vegetation recovery in burned areas relative to unburned sagebrush-grassland.

scholarly journals You Can Bend Me but Can’t Break Me: Vegetation Regeneration After Hurricane María Passed Over an Urban Coastal Wetland in Northeastern Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elix Hernández ◽  
Elvira Cuevas ◽  
Solimar Pinto-Pacheco ◽  
Gloria Ortíz-Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Plant Regeneration ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Coastal Wetland ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Phreatic Water ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Tropical urban coastal wetland regeneration is complex. Wetland plant biodiversity varies due to past and present land use, nutrient inputs, hydrological conditions, and terrestrial/marine connectivity. The intensity of atmospheric disturbances, such as hurricanes, will determine these systems’ level of disturbance and regeneration capacity. On September 20, 2017, category 4 hurricane María passed over Puerto Rico, leaving behind a path of destruction across the entire island, especially in coastal ecosystems, from the combined effects of winds, severe storm surges, and urban runoff. Our question was: to what extent do human-influenced coastal urban wetlands regenerate after such a massive event. This study determines the spatio-temporal regeneration dynamics of plant cover and composition during the first 2 years after hurricane María in a coastal urban wetland, ciénaga Las Cucharillas, located in San Juan Bay. We assessed the distribution of plant functional types using small unmanned aerial vehicles (s-UAV) and monitored climate and environmental data (salinity, phreatic water levels, and precipitation). Wetland vegetation cover had a high recovery rate – 16 months after the hurricane, vegetation cover occupied 87% of the study area. We found a successional pattern of plant regeneration that seemed to be partly explained by the fast-slow continuum. Plants with high specific leaf area (SLA) colonized bare soil spaces first. Plant regeneration also varied according to changes in phreatic water conductivity and waterlogging. Isotopic analyses of plant species signaled high nutrient availability, increasing the system’s regeneration speed. After 2 years, the wetland’s plant cover and composition of functional plant types proved resilient to the initial hurricane effect and subsequent changes in conductivity and freshwater conditions. Further studies will expand how spatio-temporal conditions will affect long-term plant community dynamics.

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