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Also had one of the largest oil spills in history - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_

Also had one of the largest oil spills in history - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill and another one recently - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugio_oil_spill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugio_oil_spill A fair bit of that tar wound up there because of human activity.

whymsicalburito 7y ago
(Long time Santa Barbara resident) The tar that washes up on the beaches is natural and not from those spills. Also, if you need to get tar off your feet after a walk on the beach, baby oil works well :)
- arrosenberg 7y ago
  I went to the University. Baby oil was a necessity ;)
sbov 7y ago
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Oil_Point_seep_field https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Oil_Point_seep_field 100 to 150 barrels worth of liquid petroleum per day. 36,500 to 54,750 per year. It leaks about as much as the 1969 oil spill every 2 years. Or about as much as the Refugio oil spill every month. I would assume the sudden influx of oil has a hugely adverse affect on wildlife, which still makes them problematic. And 2 years worth of leaks in 10 days sounds catastrophic to the local wildlife. But long term it doesn't seem like either of these spills would be a major contributor to the tar you find on beaches in the region today.
an_account 7y ago
Human oil extraction in the region likely reduces the amount of tar on the beach as it relives pressure from natural seeps. An oil company even has a cap over one of the bigger natural leaks to capture the oil that would otherwise be entering the ocean.
- adrr 7y ago
  Funny you would say that, there is an oil industry funded environmental group that proposes to pump out all the oil before it can seep out and pollute the environment.
adrr 7y ago
It’s natural seeps that end up on the beaches. Santa Barbara is where they practice oil spill response because there is always natural slicks in the ocean.

whymsicalburito 7y ago

(Long time Santa Barbara resident) The tar that washes up on the beaches is natural and not from those spills. Also, if you need to get tar off your feet after a walk on the beach, baby oil works well :)

arrosenberg 7y ago
I went to the University. Baby oil was a necessity ;)

sbov 7y ago

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Oil_Point_seep_field https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Oil_Point_seep_field 100 to 150 barrels worth of liquid petroleum per day. 36,500 to 54,750 per year. It leaks about as much as the 1969 oil spill every 2 years. Or about as much as the Refugio oil spill every month. I would assume the sudden influx of oil has a hugely adverse affect on wildlife, which still makes them problematic. And 2 years worth of leaks in 10 days sounds catastrophic to the local wildlife. But long term it doesn't seem like either of these spills would be a major contributor to the tar you find on beaches in the region today.

an_account 7y ago

Human oil extraction in the region likely reduces the amount of tar on the beach as it relives pressure from natural seeps. An oil company even has a cap over one of the bigger natural leaks to capture the oil that would otherwise be entering the ocean.

adrr 7y ago
Funny you would say that, there is an oil industry funded environmental group that proposes to pump out all the oil before it can seep out and pollute the environment.

adrr 7y ago

It’s natural seeps that end up on the beaches. Santa Barbara is where they practice oil spill response because there is always natural slicks in the ocean.