Research Product

Scientific assessments of the complex environmental consequences of large spills of oil or other hazardous substances has stimulated development of improved strategies for rapid and valid collection and processing of ecological data. Ecological assessment of oil and hazardous material spills has been divided into three distinct phases: (1) first-order response studies - conducted at the time of the initial spill event, which gather data to document acute impacts and assist decision-makers in prioritization of cleanup efforts and protection of ecologically sensitive habitats (2) second-order response studies - conducted two months to one year post-spill, which document any delayed mortality and attempt to identify potential sublethal impacts in sensitive species, and (3) third-order response studies - conducted one to three years post-spill to document chronic impact (both lethal and sublethal) to specific indicator species. First- and second-order response studies of the "Peck Slip#:" oil spill in Puerto Rico illustrate the usefulness of this method.