Chemicals Used To Disperse Oil Spilled So Far On Great Barrier Reef Also Toxic To Corals - SMH

A marine expert says part of the Great Barrier Reef faces a damaging double whammy from an oil leak and chemicals used to disperse it. Associate Professor Peter Harrison, the director of Marine Studies at Southern Cross University, says coral spawning could be affected later this year.

Several tonnes of fuel oil leaked from a coal carrier when it ran aground inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park on Saturday, and chemicals were used to disperse the resulting slick. Prof Harrison says oil can have dire effects on coral ecosystems and chemicals used to break up slicks are also toxic to corals.

"And in some cases the combination of oil and dispersant have increased synergistic effects," said Prof Harrison, who is also the director of the university's Coral Reef Research Centre. "This highlights the importance of trapping the oil in booms and physically removing any spilled oil, rather than relying on dispersants."

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http://www.smh.com.au/environment/reef-faces-double-whammy-from-oil-dispersants-expert-20100407-rqw2.html