PROFESSOR SAYS GULF SLICK WON'T HURT AS BADLY AS EXXON SPILL

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Persian Gulf oil slick, already being called the world's worst, will have markedly different effects on the gulf's ecosystem than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill had on the Alaskan ecosystem, says a university professor.

Asked to compare the two environmental disasters, Dr. Michael Aide, associate professor of agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University, said, because of the warmer climate of the gulf, the long-term effects will not be as severe as those of the Exxon spill.

"There are natural oil seeps in the gulf, and because of that there is some buffer capacity in the ecosystem," Aide said.

Though Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian shorelines will suffer severe damage, and wildlife in the area may be completely wiped out for a time, the warmer climate of the gulf will contribute to a relatively rapid rate of biological reclamation, he said.

Aide explained that, for several reasons, damage from the Exxon spill along the coastline of Alaska was probably much more severe than the damage the gulf slick will cause.

"There is more wildlife along the shores of Alaska, and there is a much more complicated ecosystem there to destroy," he said. "Also, it being a very cold region, the effects will take a lot longer to mitigate."

The gulf slick, said to be at least a dozen times more vast than that of the Alaskan spill, will probably be allowed to disburse, a process that will take at least several weeks, he said.

Attempts to contain the slick, one of four ways to deal with a disaster of this kind, will be made more difficult because of the gulf war, he said.

"The Kuwaitis themselves have an emergency response team to deal with oil spills," he said. "Whether they'll be able to do anything in the war zone is questionable."

Other ways to deal with a slick of its magnitude are to burn it, attempt to skim off the oil, or let it disperse, he said. Certain types of bacteria can be employed to help break up and destroy the slick, he explained.

The gulf slick, reported Monday to be 35 miles long and 10 miles wide, is moving along the Saudi gulf coast at a rate of about 15 miles a day. It threatens not only the gulf's ecology, but also power stations and desalination plants, which provide Saudi Arabia with much of its fresh water supply.

U.S. officials have said the slick was caused by Iraqis who opened valves leading to Kuwait's Sea Island tanker-loading terminal. Iraq blamed the slick on damage from allied bombing raids.

Military officials said Monday allied bombing has apparently stopped the flow of oil to the slick.

Aide did not discount the severity of the gulf spill; he did, however, contend that its long-term effects will be minimal, except to wildlife along the shorelines.

Over time, he said, marine life would show fewer signs of being harmed by the oil that invaded their surroundings.

"There was a tremendous amount of oil pouring into that area for several days," he said. "It's conceivable that some of the shore birds might be completely wiped out in that area."

(Some information for this story was provided by United Press International.)