In 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of North Slope crude oil into Prince William Sound. Approximately 1% of the oil spilled during Exxon Valdez spill remains sequestered in sediments in Prince William Sound and it is as fresh as the day it made landfall. SSSC is deploying their field technicians to work with NOAA and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council to monitor established sites across Prince William Sound for the presence of oil as part of a long-term monitoring effort. The time series of observations on this sequestered oil is among the longest known records of spilled oil and provides scientists with invaluable information on how long oil from spills last.

Project Contact: Ron Heintz