Final results of the api tropics oil spill and dispersant use experiments in panama

This long-term experiment was designed to determine the intertidal/subtidal tradeoffs (if any) involved with using dispersants in shallow tropical waters. The experiment, conducted in Panama from 1983 to 1986, involved three treatment sites, each containing a coral reef, a seagrass bed, and a mangrove forest. Following treatment with dispersed oil, treatment with oil atone, or no treatment (reference), the sites were monitored for 18 months for short-term and long-term effects and recovery rates. High concentrations of dispersed and undispersed oil were used to simulate a worst-case but realistic scenario. The results indicate differences in oil residence time in the intertidal zones at each spill site as well as effects on resident biota. To develop answers to the tradeoff question, we compared the long-term toss of intertidal wetlands (as seen at the oil-alone treatment site), with the short- and long-term effects on animal benthos in the subtidal seagrass and coral reef systems.