Kodiak Island, Alaska and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Abstract

Tanker ships have transported Alaskan crude oil through Prince William Sound since 1975. In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on the Bligh Reef, spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the Prince William Sound (Figure 1). The timing of the spill, remote location, thousands of miles of rugged and wild shoreline, and the abundance of wildlife in the region combined to make it an environmental disaster. Approximately 1,300 miles of Alaskan shoreline was impacted, and effects are still being felt today.