Oil exploration in arctic regions will require special oil spill cleanup methods for shorelines. The application of fertilizers to speed biodegradation of oil may hold promise. INIPOL EAP22, an oil-soluble fertilizer that is nontoxic and biodegradable, was tested in a series of experiments on Spitsbergen, Norway, to determine its effectiveness under various conditions. The fertilizer was applied to floating oil and to oil on shoreline sediments. Effectiveness of the treatments varied. The oil-on-water experiments showed virtually no signs of biodegradation, perhaps because photo-oxidation products and low-boiling-point hydrocarbons interfered. Experiments with oil in sediments showed mixed results: oil in finer sediments showed little or no biodegradation, but oil in coarser sediments was significantly biodegraded. Uptake and exchange of nutrients depends on the complex growth kinetics of the bacteria involved, and requires detailed study.

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The influence of three different grazing levels (5‐20 ind.) by Hypogastrura viatica (Collembola) on microbial activity in a Spitsbergen kelp Laminaria has been evaluated during a 10 day laboratory experiment under oxic conditions. Respiration has been measured by infra‐red gas analysis in the form of CO 2‐emissions. The total and metabolicatly active fungal and bacterial biomass has been estimated by direct microscopical counts and epifluorescence techniques. Despite the results of other similar experiments, an increase in microbial numbers and biomass was recorded following the introduction of grazing. Grazing increases the mean respiration between 0.6 to 1.4 times. A corresponding increase in the microbial biomasses was also recorded. Although a trend towards decreased mean bacterial cell size was found, the fungi were more influenced by grazing than the bacteria. Bacteria constituted the predominant part of the microbial biomass in all the experimental vessels. The results indicate that Collembola plays an important functional role by regulating the microbial activity, probably by nutrient mobilization.

An experimental program, spanning four years, was initiated in 1990 to study the in-situ burning of emulsions. Its main objectives were to study the in-situ burning of emulsions in dynamic conditions (wind, waves, currents, and ice); to define the limitations and effectiveness of in-situ burning in terms of water content, evaporation, and film thickness of crude oils and emulsions; and to determine the physical processes involved in burning water-in-oil emulsions. Field experiments were conducted in basins cut into sea ice ranging in size from 4 m2 to 300 m2. Small-scale pan burns and emulsion-heating experiments were conducted in the laboratory. The results show that evaporated water-free oil can be easily ignited and burned with a high efficiency, even in the presence of swells and slush ice. When water contents exceeded 25 percent, the emulsions were difficult to ignite using gelled gasoline, and could not be ignited in the presence of moderate swells. However; ignition could be improved by using alternative igniters. Some postulated processes on the burning of stable emulsions have been confirmed: water must be removed from the emulsion surface before ignition can occur, water is released mainly through evaporation, and the temperature in the emulsion slick does not seem to exceed the boiling point of water.

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