A NATURAL RESOURCES DAMAGE ASSESSMENT STUDY: THE IXTOC I BLOWOUT

Abstract

ABSTRACT Following the Ixtoc I blowout and Burmah Agate spill in 1979, a program was initiated to investigate the extent of damage to the offshore benthic environment. A program of chemical and biological measurements was conducted based on samples taken during and after the spills and compared with results obtained in a baseline program conducted before the spills. A new chemical method combining molecular (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) and atomic (stable isotope) measurements was used to identify the source of weathered oil residues. The program concluded that the important biological changes observed cannot be attributed to a chemical impact from either spill and hence must be attributed to other causes.