THE GULF WAR OIL SPILL TWELVE YEARS LATER:CONSEQUENCES OF ECO-TERRORISM

摘要

The intentional release of an estimated 11 million barrels of oilrnduring the 1991 Gulf War was the largest oil spill in history. Anrnassessment of the physical, chemical, and ecological impacts ofrnthis spill shows that, 12 years later, oil residues and habitat modificationsrncontinue to have toxic effects on intertidal communities.rnAs of 2003, there are an estimated 8 million cubic meters of oiledrnsediment remaining along the 803 km of impacted shoreline inrnSaudi Arabia. Of this volume, 45% occurs in muddy tidal flatsrnand 23% in salt marshes and mangroves. Much of the oil in thesernsheltered habitats occurs as oiled crab burrows, with liquid oilrnremaining in the burrows to depths that exceed 50 cm. These habitatsrnshow the lowest degree of ecological recovery since the spill,rnwith 87% of the upper intertidal zones of mangroves and marshesrnand 71% of muddy tidal flats having reduced species richness andrna disturbed community structure. Those habitats exposed to therngreatest amount of wave activity contain the smallest amount ofrnresidual oil; however, on outer sand beaches, the oil is commonlyrnburied to depths exceeding 1 m. The factors that affect the ecologicalrnrecovery of the intertidal habitats include: 1) The chemicalrntoxicity of the oil residues; 2) the physical toxicity of heavy andrnhardened oil residues; 3) other physical barriers that affectrnseed germination of plants, settlement of larvae, and burrowing;rn4) limited sources for recruitment of biota; 5) reduced hydrologicalrnfunctioning of tidal channels. This study shows the importancernof oil removal as the first phase of habitat recovery. It also indicatesrnthe potential for large-scale damage by blatant acts of rnecoterrorism.