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Mar Pollut Bull. 2011 Mar;62(3):581-9. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.11.026. Epub 2010 Dec 23.
Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, scattered patches of subsurface oil residues (SSOR) can still be found in intertidal sediments at a small number of shoreline locations in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Some scientists hypothesize that sea otters continue to be exposed to SSOR by direct contact when otters dig pits in search of clams. This hypothesis is examined through site-specific examinations where SSOR and otter-dug pits co-occur. Surveys documented the exact sediment characteristics and locations on the shore at the only three subdivisions where both SSOR and otter pits were found after 2000. Shoreline characteristics and tidal heights where SSOR have persisted are not suitable habitat for sea otters to dig pits during foraging. There is clear separation between areas containing SSOR and otter foraging pits. The evidence allows us to reject the hypothesis that sea otters encounter and are being exposed by direct contact to SSOR.
20 年后，埃克森·瓦尔迪兹号溢油事件仍在阿拉斯加威廉王子湾的少数几个海滨地区的潮间带沉积物中发现分散的海底油残留（SSOR）。一些科学家假设，当海獭为了寻找蛤蜊而在海底挖掘坑洞时，它们会直接接触到 SSOR，从而继续接触到 SSOR。通过对 SSOR 和海獭挖掘的坑洞同时存在的特定地点的检查，对这一假设进行了检验。调查记录了 2000 年后在仅有的三个细分区域中，SSOR 和海獭坑洞同时存在的确切沉积物特征和位置。在 SSOR 持续存在的地方，海岸线特征和潮汐高度都不适合海獭在觅食时挖掘坑洞。含有 SSOR 和海獭觅食坑洞的区域之间有明显的分隔。这些证据使我们能够否定海獭接触并直接接触 SSOR 的假设。
