Citizen’s Guide to Observing Oil from the Dalco Passage Spill

Picture to the right - shows patches of diatoms on sand flats exposed at low tide (taken at about 1:00 a.m.). These patches are dark brown and are often mistaken for stranded oil.
Like the picture above, this picture shows patches of diatoms on sand flats exposed at low tide (taken at about 1:00 a.m.). These patches are dark brown and are often mistaken for stranded oil.
The picture to the right shows what the oil from the Dalco Pass spill looks like on sand. The properties of this oil allow it to soak into the sand, resulting in a dark stain with some rainbow colors. After a few tide cycles, this oil continues to spread out and soak into the sand or re-float, and the stains soon disappear and the only visible oil is a thin film that floats on the water (contributing to the widespread floating oil seen on over flights).