TRANSCRIPT CD1-Track 10

Good morning. Today we'll continue to look at the way humans affect the environment. This class will focus on the
Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker, a ship that
carries large amounts of oil. It ran aground in Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989. It released about 11 million
gallons of oil into the water and onto the beaches. Many oil spills around the world have been bigger, but the
Valdez oil spill has emerged as among the most serious in terms of its environmental impact. I'll explain why. I'm
also going to talk about some methods used to deal will oil spills. The oil spill in Prince William Sound has been
particularly difficult to clean up, and efforts to restore the environment there are expected to continue indefinitely.
We continue to learn a great deal about the different approaches to this problem from those efforts. All right. So,
first some background on the spill. On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit a rocky area called Bligh
Reef in the northeast part of Prince William Sound. The reef tore open the ship, spilling oil into the water. When
the oil spilled, the weather was calm. But after three days, a storm moved in and the wind started to disperse the
oil down the shoreline. As the wind blew the oil and water together, the oil changed into a thick substance called
mousse - that M-O-U-S-S-E - which is very sticky and very difficult to remove from the water and the beaches. The
oil continued to spread and move along the shoreline, and it gradually affected about 1,300 miles of beach
altogether. If you look at a map of Prince William Sound, you see that there are several islands there. Some of
these, like Cordova Island and Green Island, have small communities in which many people work in businesses
related to fishing, especially salmon fishing. The Sound is also home to other species of fish, such as herring and
pollack, and to sea otters, seals, and many species of seabirds. So, why did this spill have such a serious
environmental impact? The features of Prince William Sound are big factors. The Sound is very cold and relatively
enclosed. It has a very rocky shoreline and a narrow opening out to the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. The very
cold water caused the oil to stay in the Sound and sink into the rocks and sand, and below the surface of the
water. The enclosed area kept the oil from spreading into the open ocean water. This kept the damaging effects of
the oil in a small area. In addition, the water in Prince William Sound is very calm most of the time. We know that
ocean waters can break down oil so it's not so toxic, but there aren't usually big waves in the Sound. Now let's look
at the short-term environmental impact. What happened right after the oil spilled? Thousands of oil-coated birds,
seals, and fish began dying on the blackened beaches and in the oil-covered water. Volunteers rushed in to try to
save the birds and animals by cleaning them. But in the days that followed the spill, it's estimated that 250 bald
eagles, 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, and billons of salmon eggs died. One reason the
animals died was from the cold. when oil gets onto animals and birds, their fur and feathers cannot keep them
warm. Their body temperatures drop, and they die. As the days went on, many more birds, seals, and sea otters
suffered injuries. And oil is very toxic. Many animals died or became ill from swallowing oil as they hunted for food.
The people there were deeply affected as well. For example, the shores of Green Island were covered in crude oil.
Individuals who fished for a living were hit especially hard. So many fish died that some fisheries had to close. Now
let's look at the long-term environmental impact. Hundreds of studies have been conducted since 1989. Scientists
are starting to understand how complicated the recovery of Prince William Sound is. Although the Sound looks
beautiful again, the environment there is still in deep trouble. A recent report presented some of the continuing
problems. One big problem is that there is still a large amount of oil there. As much as 20,000 gallons of the Exxon
Valdez is still trapped in the Sound, deep in the water and on the beaches. Researchers have dug holes on the
shore between 5 inches and 1 foot - that's between 10 and 30 centimeters - below the surface. They have found
layers of oil still in the sand. Some species, such as the sea otters, dig in the sand for food. The sea otters often
come into contact with the toxic oil even now, many years after it was released. Another problem is the large
number of animals still suffering the consequences of the spill. Killer whales, salmon, herring, and other species
were all injured by the oil spill. Scientists are tracking these animals. They've found that the salmon are recovering,
but salmon born from eggs exposed to the oil are smaller than salmon born before the spill. The Sound's
commercial herring fishery completely collapsed within a few years. Many of the inhabitants of the Sound are still
feeling the impact. The herring and salmon populations still haven't returned to what they were before the spill,
and some of the fisheries still haven't reopened. And the killer whale has been hit especially hard. Killer whales live
in groups called pods. At the time of the oil spill, one pod had 22 members. The spill killed nine whales within the
first year, and five more died after 1990. Since then, there have been no births in the pod-zero. This pod is in
serious trouble. Another pod, fortunately, is beginning to slowly recover. Scientists think most of the dead whales
died from breathing in toxic fumes from the oil, or from eating harbor seals that were covered in oil. Thousands of
harbor seals died right away, but their numbers have finally started to increase again. So, it's clear that the
environmental impact of the Valdez oil spill, both short and long-term, was serious. Thousands of animals suffered
immediately following the spill, and some species are still feeling the effects more than two decades later. Now
let's consider how to deal with oil spills. A lot of research has been done on ways to clean up an oil spill. We know
it's important to respond as soon as a spill occurs. Oil can spread quickly and cause a lot of damage in a short
time. There is a variety of equipment that can be used to keep the oil from spreading, and to remove it from the
surface of the water. There are also chemicals that can be used to treat the oil and remove it. We also know that
animals can die quickly from an oil spill, and that washing the oil off affected birds and animals can improve their
odds of survival. I mentioned earlier that right after the Exxon Valdez spill, thousands of people went to the nearby
beaches to try to rescue the birds and other animals. With the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the first clean-up response
was to use a chemical mixture to try to disperse the oil. This didn't work because there weren't enough waves to
mix the water and the chemicals - remember the water in Prince William Sound is often calm - and so they had try
to try something else. Next they tried to use very hot water to remove the oil from the shoreline. However, they
learned that this was a bad idea because the hot water killed bacteria on the shore that could have actually helped
break down the oil. They went on to try other methods. The clean-up effort was huge: it lasted for four summers.
There were about 10,000 workers in 1,000 boats. The cost? About $2.1 billion. Since the Valdez spill, researchers
have been trying to develop better methods for dealing with oil spills. For example, they have developed a
chemical that promotes the growth of the bacteria that help break down the oil. To me, this is a positive step
because it's a way to use what we know about how nature works to repair the damage we as human beings have
caused. Of course, the best way to stop the damage caused by oil spills is to stop the spills from happening in the
first place. Next time we'll talk about some of the improvements that have been made to oil tankers and the way
they are used. But right now, does anyone have any questions?