It was Bligh Reef that the Exxon Valdez struck in 1989. Cook called the area Sandwich Sound, but the British Admiralty renamed it to Prince William Sound in honor of King George III’s third son.
What happened at Prince William Sound?
On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil. The ecologically sensitive location, season of the year, and large scale of this spill resulted in one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Is Prince William Sound a lake?
Prince William Sound (Sugpiaq: Suungaaciq) is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
What does sound mean in Prince William Sound?
Prince William Sound is a sound east of Kenai Peninsula in the Gulf of Alaska. James Cook entered here in 1778 and named it Sandwich Sound after his patron the Earl of Sandwich. After, the Sound was named to honor Prince William Henry who was 13 and serving in the Royal Navy.
Is Prince William Sound fresh water?
Prince William Sound is one of the larger estuaries in North America. Its waters have a surface area of approximately 10,000 square kilometers. Rivers and a significant number of tide-water glaciers supply fresh water to the sound. The circulation is thought to be primarily tidally driven.
How was the Exxon Valdez oil spill resolved?
Cleanup workers skimmed oil from the water’s surface, sprayed oil dispersant chemicals in the water and on shore, washed oiled beaches with hot water and rescued and cleaned animals trapped in oil.
What is the current status of the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
A small portion of the oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill still lingers in patches beneath Prince William Sound, Alaska, beaches. However, this and other studies suggests the remaining oil is sequestered, or buried, and currently is not posing a risk to the coastal and marine ecosystem.
Are there whales in Prince William Sound?
Resident marine mammals include humpback, sei, fin, minke, and killer whales as well as Steller sea lions, harbor seals, and sea otters, all of which reach some of their greatest numbers in Prince William Sound. Though rugged and wild, the sound is easy to access.
What is Prince William Sound known for?
Prince William Sound is America’s largest intact marine ecosystem carved by 15 million years of glaciations. The Sound encompasses 3,800 miles of coastline, 150 glaciers, including 178 tidewater glaciers, 30 species of land mammals, a dozen marine mammals, and more than 220 species of birds.
Where is Prince William Sound located in Alaska?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. Prince William Sound, on the south coast of Alaska. Prince William Sound (Russian: Чугацкий залив Čugatski zaliv) is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula.
How many animals live in Prince William Sound?
The Sound encompasses 3,800 miles of coastline, 150 glaciers, including 178 tidewater glaciers, 30 species of land mammals, a dozen marine mammals, and more than 220 species of birds. And five species of wild Alaska salmon return to the crystal clear waters of Prince William Sound every year.
How many miles wide is Prince William Sound?
Prince William Sound is comparable in size to Puget Sound in Washington State and three times larger than San Francisco Bay. The Sound is about 70 miles wide from east to west and covers roughly 15,000 square miles.
