ARGO MERCHANT Oil Spill: A Preliminary Scientific Report

摘要

On December 15, 1976, the tanker 'ARGO MERCHANT' ran aground southeast of Nantucket Island. The subsequent discharge of its 7,700,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil resulted in one of the largest oil spills off the coast of the United States. The grounding of the 'ARGO MERCHANT' triggered intense scientific activity between December 15, 1976, and February 12, 1977, aimed at describing the movement and fate of the oil released by the tanker as a first step in the long process of assessing the ecological effects of the spill. During the week after the grounding, both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), recalled research vessels from scheduled operations to undertake special cruises designed to determine the fate of the oil and to make the first assessments of the impact of the spilled oil on the ecology of the lucrative fishing grounds.