The eectiveness of a speci®c fertiliser (IN-IPOL EAP 22) addition on bioremediation of oil-contaminated Antarctic coastal seawater was determined in the``Terre Adelie'' area. Mesocosm studies were conducted to evaluate the eects of``Arabian light'' crude oil contamination on coastal bacterioplanktonic communities. After oil addition, regular surveys of the bacterial changes of the oil-contaminated seawater were performed during 5-week periods during the austral summer of 1992/1993 and 1993/1994. All results (total, saprophytic and hydrocarbon-utilising bacterial abundance) clearly revealed a signi®cant response of Antarctic bacterial communities to hydrocarbon contamination. A 1 order of magnitude increase of bacterial micro¯ora occurred in seawater after crude oil contamination. A concomitant enrichment in oil-degrading bacteria was generally observed, from less than 0.001% of the community in uncontaminated samples to up to 50% after 3 weeks of contamination. Addition of fertiliser (INIPOL EAP 22) induced clear enhancement of both saprophytic and hydrocarbon-utilising micro¯ora. Chemical analysis of the residual hydrocarbon fractions con®rmed that fertiliser application increased the rate of oil biodegradation.

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