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In order to more clearly determine how salt marsh vegetation is affected by recurring
light oil sprays, a man named Baker performed an experiment. He decided that he was
going to record and compares the affects the oil had on the vegetation after two months
of sprays, four months of sprays, eight months of sprays and twelve months of sprays.
He sprayed the plants only one time per month. Baker found that after two months of sprays
the vegetation began to turn yellow and the leaves began to die. Some plants did continue
to sprout up as fresh growth, but only in areas that were protected from the oil by other
plants. The oil-covered leaves that had died within those two months and had fallen,
remained there for five years in most areas. When the plants were sprayed for two
additional months, almost all of the vegetation had died or was on its way to death.
Eight months into the experiment, there was sever plant death and the beginnings of
mud exposure. The twelve-month mark yielded the same results as at eight months because
there was barely any more damage that could take place. In all, the results were telling
that any amount of oil is highly caustic for salt marshes. The most troubling aspect of
this experiment is that the residual affects of the sprays were still seen ten years
after the spraying stopped.
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