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Diedre Puddister
Puddister, D. (2004) ABSTRACT
In 1999, 38000 litres of diesel oil was spilled in Gros Morne National
Park, much of which leached onto on a small area of coastline. The goal
of this project was to determine the effects of the diesel oil, and resulting
clean-up procedures, on the coastal environment. Chapter 1 focuses on
assessing conditions at the diesel oil spill site by examining hydrocarbon
levels in sediments and organisms at the site, and by conducting a survey
of the algal taxa present. Significant quantities of diesel were present
for at least two years after the spill, both in sediments and biota. The
oil spill site was also affected by uncharacteristically low-salinity
conditions, as evidenced by the predominance of fresh-water tolerant algae.
Chapter 2 focuses on determining the range of effects of the diesel oil
using caged invertebrates, transplanted at a gradient from the point source
of diesel and analyzed using binary logistic regression. Both distance
from the source and length of time at the site (i.e. length of exposure
to diesel oil and low-salinity conditions) affected the survival time
of transplanted organisms; organisms transplanted closer to the source
died faster than those farther away, though all organisms eventually perished.
Chapter 3 examines the effects, combined and individual, of diesel and
reduced salinity on the survival rates of three invertebrates commonly
found along the Newfoundland coastline. Survival of these invertebrates,
Mysis stenolepis, Gammarus oceanicus, and Littorina obtusata, was examined
using one-way analysis of variance with a Tukey's test, two-factor analysis
of variance, and regression analysis. Not all marine intertidal invertebrates
react equally when exposed to diesel oil and reduced salinity, alone or
combined, however, when considering that these organisms represent those
potentially affected by a coastal oil spill, it can be concluded that
even a short-term exposure could be devastating.
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