Jane J. Lee

Twenty-five years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill set off one of the most devastating environmental disasters in U.S. history, scientists say that a surprising amount of oil still clings to boulder-strewn beaches in the Gulf of Alaska.

And that oil could stick around for decades to come.

Monday marks the 25th anniversary of the spill, when a tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound (map). The accident wiped out herring and salmon runs. And some of the affected wildlife, like sea otters and pink salmon, are still recovering.

The latest findings on lingering oil came last month, when scientists announced that spilled oil in the Gulf of Alaska still has most of the same chemical compounds as oil sampled 11 days after the accident. (See "Exxon Valdez Anniversary: 20 Years Later, Oil Remains.")

The scientists presented evidence of a lingering, foamy, mousse-like emulsion at a major ocean science conference in Hawaii.

The oil's presence in areas that were cleaned right after the spill points to a need to monitor certain environments long after the visible effects disappear, the researchers say.

It's Like Mayonnaise

There are two main reasons why there's still oil on some of the beaches of the Kenai Fjords and Katmai National Parks and Preserves in the Gulf of Alaska, explains Gail Irvine, a marine ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and lead researcher on the study.

When the oil first spilled from the tanker, it mixed with the seawater and formed an emulsion that turned it into a goopy compound, she says.

Originally posted here:

On 25th Exxon Valdez Anniversary, Oil Still Clings to Beaches