Exxon Valdez Research Paper

The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker that was transporting 42 million liters of crude oil when it suddenly ran aground off the coast of Alaska. This was one of the biggest environmental tragedies that has ever happened in history. This was clearly a major blunder from a very famous corporation and it damaged the reputation of many people. Throughout this essay I will be talking a bit about the background of the crash and spill itself and the subsequent cleanup, the environmental impact it had on wildlife, how it is still relevant today, nearly 30 years later, and the business and legal ramifications. On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran into a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska spilling more than 42 million liters of crude oil

As the beaches still have traces of crude oil stained in and under the sand, many animals have still not fully recovered from this tragedy. When the oil spilled it mixed with the seawater causing it to seem more gooey and foamy. It would dry up on the outside but the inside would still be more of a liquid. The oil was pushed into areas where it was full of boulders and this allowed for the oil to still be found today. The oil is still leaking from these rocky areas and can still be found in some mussels. The main takeaway from this is that an environment needs to be monitored for more than a few months (Lee). Many people estimate how long the oil will be around but a study shows that it is disappearing at less than 4 percent annually, meaning it could take decades to fully disappear. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council found at 17 of 27 species they monitored have not recovered. The hoses they used on the beaches did more damaged then what they thought. This high pressured water took away gravel and sediment that helped protects clams and mussels during storms. Also, the damage that it did on shellfish caused otter recovery to slow down as that is what they feed on. Exxon Mobil declared on the 20th anniversary that the ecosystem near the spill is as healthy and thriving as it once was, but from many people’s perspective it is not