Thirty years ago today, the largest oil tanker spill in US history occurred here in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Nearly 11 million gallons of oil flowed into the once-pristine waters when the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef. The area is so remote that cleanup efforts were delayed, allowing 1,300 miles of shoreline to be contaminated. The US Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that among other casualties, more than 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and 22 orcas were lost. The spill, while devastating, has provided a living laboratory as scientists study how the ecosystem recovers—and doesn’t. Some species and their habitat are still impacted by the spill. There is at least one highlight: Government agencies say the sea otter population here has fully recovered; however, the local subspecies as a whole remains endangered.
30 years after Exxon Valdez
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Tree of many colors
-
Children at play for International Day of Friendship
-
Monarch butterflies migrate south
-
A bison preserve
-
Instant romance
-
Hidden beauty in Thailand
-
Cool water in the Quinault
-
National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
-
Ponta da Piedade rock formations in Portugal
-
Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
-
The buzz about bees
-
An island for the birds
-
Marine Day in Japan
-
Bobbing for crab apples
-
US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
-
The owl that loved football
-
Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
-
Mysterious prairie mounds abound
-
Don t go chasing waterfalls
-
Portland celebrates its bounty