Burns Kathryn A.

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Burns
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Kathryn A.
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1971 - 1979 2 2010 - 2016 1
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  • Thesis
    Distribution of hydrocarbons in a salt marsh ecosystem after an oil spill and physiological changes in marsh animals from the polluted environment
    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1975-06) Burns, Kathryn A.
    The studies described in this thesis were designed to answer several problems relating to the recovery of a salt marsh heavily polluted by an accidental spill of Number 2 fuel oil. Field and laboratory studies were conducted for 5 years comparing the oiled Wild Harbor Marsh with the unoiled Sippewissett Marsh, both on Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. The data contributes information 1) on the incorporation of oil into the sediments and organisms at the oiled marsh, 2) on the residence times of certain components of the oil in the marsh ecosystem, 3) on changes in chemical composition of the oil with time due to physical and chemical weathering processes and biochemical degradation of hydrocarbons, 4) on the effects of oiled sediments on the population distribution, behavior, and survival of the intertidal fiddler crab, Uca pugnax, 5) on the relatively small ability of Uca to metabolize hydrocarbons, 6) on the presence of an inducible in vitro microsomal mixed function oxidase (MFO) enzyme system in the marsh minnow, Fundulus heteroclitus, 7) on the presence of high MFO rates in field populations of Fundulus exosed to hydrocarbon pollution, and 8) for the synthesis into a discussion of some of the physiological reasons for the relative sensitivity of marsh animals to oil pollution and their relative ability to adapt to an oil polluted environment.
  • Technical Report
    Hydrocarbon incorporation into the salt marsh ecosystem from the West Falmouth oil spill
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1971-11) Burns, Kathryn A. ; Teal, John M.
    The oil barge "Florida" ran aground just off Little Island, West Falmouth, Massachusetts on September 16, 1969. About 175,000 gallons of Number Two fuel oil leaked into Buzzards Bay and the adjacent Wild Harbor Marsh. This report presents the results of analyses done on marsh muds and organisms collected nearly a year after the spill. We studied the incorporation of polluting hydrocarbons into, and their movement through the marsh ecosystem. Analyses of surface muds agreed well with observations on plant growth. The dead areas were the most heavily polluted. A deep mud core in the dead area showed oil has penetrated to at least 70 cm. Virtually all the marsh organisms living in the contaminated area were affected by the oil at least to the extent that they accumulated oil hydrocarbons in their tissues. Our data suggest that two processes may occur as the oil passes through the marsh ecosystem. There may be a progressive loss in the straight chain hydrocarbons in relation to branched chain, cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons. There also appears to be a selection for the higher boiling fractions of the contaminants higher up the food chain.
  • Article
    Synthesis and crosscutting topics of the GoMRI special issue
    (The Oceanography Society, 2016-09) Farrington, John W. ; Burns, Kathryn A. ; Leinen, Margaret S.
    In recent years, there have been significant advances in fluid dynamics/physical oceanography, microbiology, weathering, remote sensing, and analytical chemistry as they pertain to the fate and effects of oil spills. Effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on water column organisms and ecosystems have been difficult to ascertain. Laboratory experiments have expanded understanding of oil effects on phytoplankton and zooplankton. “Marine oil snow” has been identified as a significant factor in the fate of oil chemicals and their deposition with sediments. Oil chemicals and their effects on 24 km2 of mud-benthic communities surrounding the well site, and in a few other areas, have lasted several years. Some deep-sea corals have also been affected for several years, and oil chemicals and their effects in heavily oiled marsh areas are projected to last a decade or longer. Lightly oiled marsh areas have recovered or are recovering. Research about use of dispersants highlights the need to update the 2005 National Research Council study of dispersant use on oil spills. Ongoing research should provide some closure for the issues of long-term effects on fisheries and marine mammals, and impacts on human health. Practical uses of this new knowledge are discussed briefly.