Rapid Assessment of Benthic Faunal Responses to a Small Petroleum Spill in a Headwaters Stream
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: On 9 May 2003, approximately 500 liters of home heating oil leaked from a point-source into Hemlock Creek, a high-quality trout stream in New York. Three days after the spill, we sampled aquatic insect communities along a 300 m gradient from an upstream reference site downstream through the potentially-contaminated reach to assess impacts on benthic fauna. Generic-level biotic indices reflected no significant variation corresponding to the spill, and insect community composition at various points along the stream gradient did not differ from that of a reference site. Our rapid assessment indicated that this small spill exerted no appreciable impacts on benthic fauna, and future spills may be monitored similarly, especially when investigative resources are limited.
Source: Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Authors: Stephen M. Coghlan, Jennifer L. Lund
Institution: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2160643131