Study asks why species bounced back – or didn’t – after Exxon Valdez

A sea otter in Resurrection Bay. (Photo by Heather Bryant)When the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, the immediate effects were pretty obvious. Researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of sea birds and thousands of sea otters died within months, among other impacts.
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But in the years that followed, some populations bounced back quickly, while others may never recover. Now, nearly three decades later, scientists are start