Biological impacts of oil pollution and cleaning in the intertidal zone of exposed sandy beaches: Preliminary study of the “Prestige” oil spill

The most disturbed levels were swash, losing most of the polychaetes, and dry sand, with decrease in insects and semi-terrestrial crustaceans in many cases. Dry sand level received a high amount of oil and was more affected by grooming and cleaning activities where fuel and polluted material were removed, including algal wrack that is used by the supratidal macrofauna as food and shelter.