in the copepods was in the form of fecal pellets. These pellets 

 are excreted into the water column, settle to the bottom, and may 

 be concentrated in such benthic filter-feeders as mussels, 

 scallops, and quahogs. Adverse physiological effects were also 

 observed in reduced respiration of scallops, mussels, and an ionic 

 imbalance of blood serum in blackback and yellowtail flounders. 

 The implications of the above results for long-term effects are 

 unclear Additional extensive surveys and laboratory tests will 

 be required to clarify preliminary findings. 



o Of the seabirds affected by the surface oil, the highest mortality 

 was observed among Murres. Marine mammals did not appear to be 

 affected by the surface oil in the few cases where they were seen 

 in the vicinity of the oil. These findings, however, are based on 

 very limited observations. 



o The No. 6 fuel oil from the Argo Merchant formed pancakes of oil 

 that tended to increase in thickness as they aged. These pancakes 

 were observed to have flat bottoms, and they did not appear to be 

 tapered towards their edges. The affected surface area was not 

 solidly covered by a continuous film of oil but rather by thick 

 pancakes, very thin oil film (sheen), and large open areas of 

 water. Several direct measurements of the velocity of the oil 

 pancakes relative to the surface water indicated that this 

 differential velocity was about 1 percent of wind speed in a 

 downwind direction. The oil sheen appeared to be generated by the 

 oil in the pancakes and moved at a slightly lower speed. 



o Sufficient data were collected during the oil spill to allow the 

 generation of a data set that can be used for hindcasting the 

 oil movement. These data include meteorological observations, 

 current observations at several locations in the spill area, a 

 time history of the area covered by oil, as well as data on the 

 amounts and fractions of the oil, as a function of time and space, 

 that entered the water column. Analyses of these data will also 

 lead to the development of improved algorithms describing the fate 

 of oil that can be incorporated into predictive models. 



Much of the success of the research activities conducted in response to 

 the oil spill can be attributed to the interest and cooperation of the Federal 

 On-Scene Coordinator, Captain Lynn Hein of the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as to 

 the deliberate effort to coordinate the research rather than allowing it to be 

 fragmented and independent. Captain Hein was not only actively involved in 

 the research activities, but also made operational resources available for 

 research purposes on a noninterference basis, particularly logistic support by 

 Coast Guard aircraft and ships. This contribution by the Coast Guard cannot 

 be overestimated. Without it, research personnel would not have had the 

 necessary information for operational planning and would have had only limited 

 access to the spill site for sampling and other investigations. 



The coordination of the research activities began almost immediately after 

 the Avgo Mevehant had run aground and the potential for an oil spill was 

 apparent. Marine scientists from NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard had outlined 



