Heavily oiled salt marsh following the deepwater horizon oil spill, ecological comparisons of shoreline cleanup treatments and recovery

PLoS ONE

Volumn 10, Issue 7, 2015, Pages

  Zengel, Scott ^a,b   Bernik, Brittany M ^c   Rutherford, Nicolle ^a   Nixon, Zachary ^a   Michel, Jacqueline ^a,d  

^a NOAA EARTH SYSTEM RESEARCH LABORATORY   (United States)

^b Research Planning Inc ^*  (United States)

^c Tulane University   (United States)

^d Research Planning Inc   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; AVICENNIA GERMINANS; CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS; COASTAL WATERS; CONTROLLED STUDY; DISTICHLIS SPICATA; ECOLOGICAL PROCEDURES; EMULSION; GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM; GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM; HABITAT QUALITY; JUNCUS ROEMERIANUS; MANGROVE; MASS FRAGMENTOGRAPHY; NONHUMAN; OIL SPILL; PASPALUM; PASPALUM VAGINATUM; PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS; SALINITY; SALT MARSH; SEEDLING; SOIL POLLUTION; SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA; TREE; UCA; UCA LONGISIGNALIS; UCA SPINICARPA; VEGETATION; WETLAND; ANALYSIS; COMPARATIVE STUDY; ECOSYSTEM; ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION; HUMAN; PROCEDURES; TOXICITY; WATER POLLUTANT;

PETROLEUM; WATER POLLUTANT;

ECOSYSTEM; ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION AND REMEDIATION; HUMANS; PETROLEUM; PETROLEUM POLLUTION; WATER POLLUTANTS, CHEMICAL; WETLANDS;

EID: 84941308751     PISSN: None     EISSN: 19326203     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132324     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Michel J, Owens EH, Zengel S, Graham A, Nixon Z, Allard T, et al. Extent and degree of shoreline oiling: Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA. PLOS ONE. 2013; 8(6): E65087. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065087 PMID: 23776444.
2. Zengel S, Michel J. Deepwater Horizon oil spill: salt marsh oiling conditions, treatment testing, and treatment history in northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Seattle (WA): NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 42; 2013. 74 p. Available: http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa-documents/NOS/ORR/TM-NOS-ORR/TM-NOS-ORR-42.pdf.Accessed26September2014.
3. Kokaly RF, Couvillion BR, Holloway JM, Roberts DA, Ustin SL, Peterson SH, et al. Spectroscopic remote sensing of the distribution and persistence of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Barataria Bay marshes. Remote Sens Environ. 2013; 129: 210-230.
4. Khanna S, Santos MJ, Ustin SL, Koltunov A, Kokaly RF, Roberts DA. Detection of salt marsh vegetation stress and recovery after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Barataria Bay, Gulf of Mexico using AVIRIS data. PLOS ONE. 2013; 8(11): E78989. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078989 PMID: 24223872.
5. Michel J, Rutherford N. Impacts, recovery rates, and treatment options for spilled oil in marshes. Mar Pollut Bull. 2014; 82(1): 19-25.
6. Baker JM, Leonardo GM, Bartlett PD, Little DI, Wilson CM. Long-term fate and effects of untreated thick oil deposits on salt marshes. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1993 March 29-April 1; Tampa, FL, USA. Washington: API; 1993. p. 395-399. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1993-1-395. Accessed 26 September 2014.
7. Michel J, Hayes MO, Getter CD, Cotsapas L. The Gulf War oil spill twelve years later: consequences of eco-terrorism. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 2005 May 15-19; Miami Beach, FL, USA. Washington: API; 2005. p. 957-961. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-957. Accessed 26 September 2014.
8. Hale JA, Cormack CD, Cotsapas L, Montello TM, Langman O. Relationships between key indicators of environmental condition and degrees of oiling in sediments in salt marsh habitats: A balance between contamination and ecological recovery by natural processes. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 2011 May 23-26; Portland, OR, USA. Washington: API; 2011. p. 1-12. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-2011-1-213. Accessed 26 September 2014.
9. Vandermeulen JH, Long BFN, D'Ozouville L. Geomorphological alteration of a heavily oiled saltmarsh (Ile Grande, France). International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1981 March 2-5; Atlanta, GA, USA. Washington: API; 1981. p. 347-351. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1981-1-347. Accessed 26 September 2014.
10. Baca BJ, Lankford TE, Gundlach ER. Recovery of Brittany coastal marshes in the eight years following the Amoco Cadiz incident. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1987 April 6-9; Baltimore, MD, USA. Washington: API; 1987. p. 459-464. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-459 Accessed 26 September 2014.
11. Sell D, Conway L, Clark T, Picken GB, Baker JM. Scientific criteria to optimize oil spill cleanup. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1995 February 27-March 2; Long Beach, CA, USA. Washington: API; 1995. p. 595-610. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-595. Accessed 26 September 2014.
12. Zengel S, Michel J. Vegetation cutting as a clean-up method for salt and brackish marshes impacted by oil spills: A review and case history of the effects on plant recovery. Mar Pollut Bull. 1996; 32(12): 876- 885.
13. Baker JM. Ecological effectiveness of oil spill countermeasures: how clean is clean?. Pure Appl Chem. 1999; 71(1): 135-151.
14. Pezeshki SR, Hester MW, Lin Q, Nyman JA. The effects of oil spill and clean-up on dominant US Gulf Coast marsh macrophytes: A review. Environ Pollut. 2000; 108(2): 129-139. PMID: 15092943.
15. Mendelssohn IA, Andersen GL, Baltz DM, Caffey RH, Carman KR, Fleeger JW, et al. Oil impacts on coastal wetlands: implications for the Mississippi River Delta ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BioScience. 2012; 62(6): 562-574.
16. Krebs CT, Tanner CE. Restoration of oiled marshes through sediment stripping and Spartina propagation. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1981 March 2-5; Atlanta, GA, USA. Washington: API; 1981. p. 375-385.
17. Lee RF, Dornseif B, Gonsoulin F, Tenore K, Hanson R. Fate and effects of a heavy fuel oil spill on a Georgia salt marsh. Mar Environ Res. 1981; 5(2): 125-143.
18. Hershner C, Moore K. Effects of the Chesapeake Bay oil spill on salt marshes of the lower bay. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1977 March 8-10; New Orleans, LA, USA. Washington: API; 1977. p. 529-533. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1977-1-529. Accessed 26 September 2014.
19. Culbertson JB, Valiela I, Peacock EE, Reddy CM, Carter A, VanderKruik R. Long-term biological effects of petroleum residues on fiddler crabs in salt marshes. Mar Pollut Bull. 2007; 54(7): 955-962. PMID: 17448504.
20. Burger J, Brzorad J, Gochfeld M. Immediate effects of an oil spill on behavior of fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1991; 20(3): 404-409.
21. Burger J, Brzorad J, Gochfeld M. Effects of an oil spill on emergence and mortality in fiddler crabs Uca pugnax. Environ Monit Assess. 1992; 22(2): 107-115. doi:10.1007/BF00418009 PMID: 24226901.
22. Krebs CT, Burns KA. Long-term effects of an oil spill on populations of the salt-marsh crab Uca pugnax. Science. 1977; 197: 484-487. PMID: 17783248.
23. Craig NJ, Turner RE, Day JW. Land loss in coastal Louisiana (USA). Environ Manage. 1979; 3(2): 133-144.
24. Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA). Louisiana's comprehensive master plan for a sustainable coast. Baton Rouge (LA): Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana; 2012. 189 p. Available: http://coastal.la.gov/. Accessed 27 April 2015.
25. Whitehead A, Dubansky B, Bodinier C, Garcia TI, Miles S. Genomic and physiological footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on resident marsh fishes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2012; 109(50): 20298- 20302. doi:10.1073/pnas.1109545108 PMID: 21949382.
26. Lin Q, Mendelssohn IA. Impacts and recovery of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on vegetation structure and function of coastal salt marshes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Environ Sci Technol. 2012; 46(7): 3737-3743. doi:10.1021/es203552p PMID: 22369124.
27. McCall BD, Pennings SC. Disturbance and recovery of salt marsh arthropod communities following BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. PLOS ONE. 2012; 7(3): E32735. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032735 PMID: 22412916.
28. Silliman BR, Diller J, McCoy M, Earl K, von de Koppel J, Zimmerman A. Degradation and resilience in Louisiana salt marshes following the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2012; 109(28): 11234-11239. doi:10.1073/pnas.1204922109 PMID: 22733752.
29. McClenachan G, Turner RE, Tweel AW. Effects of oil on the rate and trajectory of Louisiana marsh shoreline erosion. Environ Res Lett. 2013; 8(4): 044030.
30. Rozas LP, Minello TJ, Miles SM. Effect of Deepwater Horizon oil on growth rates of juvenile penaeid shrimps. Estuaries Coast. 2014; 2014: 1-12.
31. Turner RE, Overton EB, Meyer BM, Miles MS, McClenachan G, Hooper-Bui L, et al. Distribution and recovery trajectory of Macondo (Mississippi Canyon 252) oil in Louisiana coastal wetlands. Mar Pollut Bull. 2014; 87(1): 57-67.
32. Turner RE, Overton EB, Meyer BM, Miles MS, Hooper-Bui L. Changes in the concentration and relative abundance of alkanes and PAHs from the Deepwater Horizon oiling of coastal marshes. Mar Pollut Bull. 2014; 86(1): 291-297.
33. Bergeon Burns CM, Olin JA, Woltmann S, Stouffer PC, Taylor SS. Effects of oil on terrestrial vertebrates: predicting impacts of the Macondo blowout. BioScience. 2014; 64(9): 820-828.
34. Bergen A, Alderson C, Bergfors R, Aquila C, Matsil MA. Restoration of a Spartina alterniflora salt marsh following a fuel oil spill, New York City, NY. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 2000; 8(2-3): 185- 195.
35. Gundlach ER, Baca B, Barry DC. Emergency marsh restoration as part of response to the Swanson Creek (Maryland) oil spill. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 2003 April 6-11; Vancouver, BC, Canada. Washington: API; 2003. p. 135-143. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-135. Accessed 26 September 2014.
36. Lubchenco J, McNutt MK, Dreyfus G, Murawski SA, Kennedy DM, Anastas PT, et al. Science in support of the Deepwater Horizon response. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2012; 109(50): 20212-20221. doi:10.1073/pnas.1204729109 PMID: 23213250.
37. Peterson CH, Anderson SS, Cherr GN, Ambrose RF, Anghera S, Bay S, et al. A tale of two spills: novel science and policy implications of an emerging new oil spill model. BioScience. 2012; 62(5): 461-469.
38. Bernik BM. Ecosystem consequences of genetic variation in the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora [dissertation]. New Orleans (LA): Tulane University; 2015.
39. NOAA. Shoreline assessment manual, 4th edition. Seattle (WA): Emergency Response Division, Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA; 2013. 73 p. Available: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/manual-shore-assess-aug2013.pdf Accessed 26 September 2014.
40. EPA. Method 8270D, semivolatile organic compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Washington: Environmental Protection Agency; 2007. 72 p. Available: http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/8270d.pdf Accessed 30 March 2015.
41. Stagg CL, Mendelssohn IA. Littoraria irrorata growth and survival in a sediment-restored salt marsh. Wetlands. 2012; 32: 643-652.
42. Hamilton PV. Intertidal distribution and long-term movements of Littorina irrorata (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Mar Biol. 1978; 46: 49-58.
43. Chabreck RH. Marsh zones and vegetative types in the Louisiana coastal marshes [dissertation]. Baton Rouge (LA): Louisiana State University; 1970.
44. Visser JM, Sasser CE, Chabreck RH, Linscombe RG. Marsh vegetation types of the Mississippi River deltaic plain. Estuaries. 1998; 21(4): 818-828.
45. Bianchi TS, Cook RL, Perdue EM, Kolic PE, Green N, Zhang Y, et al. Impacts of diverted freshwater on dissolved organic matter and microbial communities in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA. Mar Environ Res. 2012; 72(5): 248-257.
46. Shiflet TN. Major ecological factors controlling plant communities in Louisiana marshes. Journal of Range Management. 1963; 231-235.
47. Miller DL, Smeins FE, Webb JW, Yager L. Mid-Texas, USA coastal marsh vegetation pattern and dynamics as influenced by environmental stress and snow goose herbivory. Wetlands. 2005; 25(3): 648-658.
48. Bhattacharjee J, Haukos D, Neaville J. Vegetation response to disturbance in a coastal marsh in Texas. Community Ecol. 2007; 8(1): 15-24.
49. Lin Q, Mendelssohn IA. Potential of restoration and phytoremediation with Juncus roemerianus for diesel- contaminated coastal wetlands. Ecol Eng. 2009; 35(1): 85-91.
50. Anderson CJ, Hess TA. The effects of oil exposure and weathering on black-needle rush (Juncus roemerianus) marshes along the Gulf of Mexico. Mar Pollut Bull. 2012; 64(12): 2749-2755. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.09.015 PMID: 23107367.
51. Bertness MD, Ellison AM. Determinants of pattern in a New England salt marsh plant community. Ecol Monogr. 1987; 57(2): 129-147.
52. Zengel S, Rutherford N, Bernik B, Nixon Z, Michel J. Salt marsh remediation and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the role of planting in vegetation and macroinvertebrate recovery. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 2014 May 5-8; Savannah, GA, USA. Washington: API; 2014. p. 1985-1999. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/full/10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.1985. Accessed 26 September 2014.
53. Odum EP, Smalley AE. Comparison of population energy flow of a herbivorous and a deposit-feeding invertebrate in a salt marsh ecosystem. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1959; 45(4): 617-622. PMID: 16590423.
54. Schindler DE, Johnson BM, MacKay NA, Bouwes N, Kitchell JF. Crab: snail size-structured interactions and salt marsh predation gradients. Oecologia. 1994; 97(1): 49-61.
55. Kiehn WM, Morris JT. Relationships between Spartina alterniflora and Littoraria irrorata in a South Carolina salt marsh. Wetlands. 2009; 29(3): 818-825.
56. Knott DM, Wenner EL, Wendt PH. Effects of pipeline construction on the vegetation and macrofauna of two South Carolina, USA salt marshes. Wetlands. 1997; 17(1): 65-81.
57. Minello TJ. Temporal development of salt marsh value for nekton and epifauna: utilization of dredged material marshes in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 2000; 8(5): 327-342.
58. Staszak LA, Armitage AR. Evaluating salt marsh restoration success with an index of ecosystem integrity. Journal of Coastal Research. 2012; 29(2): 410-418.
59. Mouton EC, Felder DL. Burrow distributions and population estimates for the fiddler crabs Uca spinicarpa and Uca longisignalis in Gulf of Mexico salt marsh. Estuaries. 1996; 19(1): 51-61.
60. Wilson CA, Allison MA. An equilibrium profile model for retreating marsh shorelines in southeast Louisiana. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci. 2008; 80(4): 483-494.
61. Penland S, Wayne L, Britsch LD, Williams SJ, Beall AD, Butterworth VC. Geomorphic classification of coastal land loss between 1932 and 1990 in the Mississippi River Delta Plain, southeastern Louisiana. Woods Hole (MA): U.S. Geological Survey, Open File Report 00-417; 2000. Available: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-417/ofr00-417.pdf. Accessed 26 September 2014.
62. Alexander SK, Webb JW. Relationship of Spartina alterniflora growth to sediment oil content following an oil spill. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 1987 April 6-9; Baltimore, MD, USA. Washington: API; 1987. p. 445-449. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-445. Accessed 26 September 2014.
63. Hampson GR, Moul ET. No. 2 fuel oil spill in Bourne, Massachusetts: immediate assessment of the effects on marine invertebrates and a 3-year study of growth and recovery of a salt marsh. Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada. 1978; 35(5): 731-744.
64. Hershner C, Lake J. Effects of chronic oil pollution on a salt-marsh grass community. Mar Biol. 1980; 56(2): 163-173.
65. Peacock EE, Hampson GR, Nelson RK, Xu L, Frysinger GS, et al. The 1974 spill of the Bouchard 65 oil barge: petroleum hydrocarbons persist in Winsor Cove salt marsh sediments. Mar Pollut Bull. 2007; 54 (2): 214-225. PMID: 17126858.
66. NOAA. Hourly global surface data (for Boothville, LA station); 2012. Database: National Climate Data Center (NCDC) [Internet]. Available: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/search. Accessed 26 September 2014.
67. NOAA. Climatic summary tables (for Grand Isle, LA buoy); 2012. Database: National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) [Internet]. Available: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/. Accessed 26 September 2014.
68. Penland S, Wayne L, Britsch LD, Williams SJ, Beall AD, Butterworth VC. Process classification of coastal land loss between 1932 and 1990 in the Mississippi River Delta Plain, southeastern Louisiana. Woods Hole (MA): U.S. Geological Survey, Open File Report 00-418 (plus GIS data); 2001. Available: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-418/ofr00-418.pdf. Accessed 26 September 2014.
69. Couvillion BR, Barras JA, Steyer GD, Sleavin W, Fischer M, et al. Land area change in coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010. Reston (VA): U.S. Geological Survey, Scientific Investigations Map 3164 and Pamphlet (plus GIS data); 2010. Available: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3164/downloads/SIM3164-Pamphlet.pdf. Accessed 26 September 2014.
70. Godfrey RK, Wooten JW. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States, monocotyledons. Athens (GA): University of Georgia Press; 1979.
71. Gedan KB, Kirwan ML, Wolanski E, Barbier EB, Silliman BR. The present and future role of coastal wetland vegetation in protecting shorelines: Answering recent challenges to the paradigm. Clim Change. 2011; 106(1): 7-29.
72. Shepard CC, Crain CM, Beck MW. The protective role of coastal marshes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2011; 6(11): E27374. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027374 PMID: 22132099.
73. Lin Q, Mendelssohn IA. Evaluation of tolerance limits for restoration and phytoremediation with Spartina alterniflora in crude oil-contaminated coastal salt marshes. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings; 2008 May 4-8; Savannah, GA, USA. Washington: API; 2008. p. 869-873. Available: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-2008-1-869. Accessed 26 September 2014.
74. Lin Q, Mendelssohn IA. Determining tolerance limits for restoration and phytoremediation with Spartina patens in crude oil-contaminated sediment in greenhouse. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. 2008; 54(6): 681-690.