exxon valdez
On March 24, 1989 at 4 minutes past midnight, the oil tanker ExxonValdez struck a reef in Alaska's breath-taking Prince William Sound. Instantaneously, the quiet waters of the sound became a sea of black. "We've fetched up - ah - hard aground north of Goose Island off Bligh Reef, and - ah - evidently leaking some oil," Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the ship, radioed the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office back in Valdez. That "some oil" turned out to be a total of 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil leaking from the ruptured hull of the ship. By the time a containment effort was put forth, a weather storm had helped to spread the oil as much as three feet thick across 1,400 miles of beaches.A little over ten years have passed since the largest oil spill and the greatest environmental disaster in American history, but the waters and its surroundings are still recovering. At first, many people repeated what was then thought as common knowledge, "oil dissipates, nature heals quickly, all will be well in a year or two." This has not been the case with the Exxon Valdez. This massive 987-foot tanker has left a lingering, long-term effect on the natural habitat that surrounds these pristine waters, along with an enormou
Birkland, Thomas A. 1998. In the Wake of the Exxon Valdez. Environment 40:4-11. Holloway, Marguerite 1999. Oil In Water. Scientific American 280:38. Fine, Doug 1999. Exxon Valdez: An Anniversary to Celebrate?. Sports Afield 221:12.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1828
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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