Hydrocarbon levels in the sediment. 



mg HC/ 

 lOOg sediment 



soon 



400- 

 300 i 

 200- 

 100- 



500' 

 400" 

 300' 

 200' 

 100' 



500" 

 400" 



300' 



200' 



100" 



1969 



1970 



1971 



Moderately Oiled Offshore 



1969 



1970 



1971 



Oiled Marsh 



1969 



1970 



1971 



Offshore Control 



Where Did the 

 Oil Go? 



Once released into the water, the 

 fate of the No. 2 fuel oil from the 

 Florida was dictated by the physical, 

 chemical and biological characteristics 

 of the ecosystem. Initially the oil was 

 blown to the north-northeast and a 

 large amount was incorporated into the 

 sediments of the heavily oiled subtidal 

 area. Other subtidal areas were moder- 

 ately or lightly oiled. Fuel oil was also 

 found in the marshes of the Wild Harbor 

 River. In the weeks following the spill, 

 the No. 2 fuel oil continued to disperse. 

 Some sampling sites that were chemi- 

 cally and biologically "normal" im- 

 mediately after the spill were found to 

 be contaminated one to three months 

 later. During the chemical monitoring, 

 all polluting hydrocarbons were very 

 similar, by "fingerprint," to the oil 

 carried by the Florida. By the spring of 

 1970, the subtidal polluted area was ten 

 times larger than immediately after the 

 spill, covering 5,000 acres. At that time 

 500 acres of marsh and river were also 

 polluted. 



1969 



1970 



1971 



Source: Sanders, H.L., et al. IN PRESS. 

 Anatomy of an Oil Spill: Ttie West Falmouth 

 Study. (Submitted to EPA) 



13 



