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Oil on
the Beach: What It Is
1. Know
what types of oil product may be present on the beach
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Tar chips and balls:
Highly weathered oil forming small
chips or balls that float in the water or are on or under the sand;
there is no odor |
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Tar mats:
Collections of tar chips/balls that
form a mat. Tar mats may hide below an oil sheen. There is no odor from
the tar chips/ball and there may be an odor if the tar chips/balls are
below an oil sheen. |
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Oil mousse or emulsion:
Weathered oil that is reddish-brown that can be foamy to pudding-like in
texture; there is little to no odor |
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Oil sheen or slick:
Very thin layer of fresh oil which
can be transparent, rainbow, grey or silvery in color; there may be an
odor. |
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2. Know where to find the
oil product.
Most of the time the oil product is found below the wrack line. The
wrack line runs the length of the beach and marks the place where the
tide reaches its highest point. Oil product, particularly tar
chips/balls, can be found under the sand below the wrack line. This
happens because with each new tide, sand is added to the beach. It is
recommended that all digging in the sand, building sand castles, chair
and umbrella set-ups, etc, be done above the wrack line.
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Wrack line |
Below the sand |
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