A critical review of marine snow in the context of oil spills and oil spill dispersant treatment with focus on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Brakstad, Odd Gunnar; Lewis, Alun; Beegle-Krause, CJ

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.028

Cited by 60 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…A summary of published rates of biodegradation of oils had half-lives that ranged from 0.5 to 260 days, with most in the range of a few days to a few weeks (see supplemental data [65]) It should be noted that the rapid loss of oil from suspended particles in the water column was reported to be slower after the particles reached the sea floor and particles with higher oil concentrations decayed even slower [66]. This suggest that once the particles reach the sediment biodegradation half-lives increase and agrees with the hydrocarbons' fingerprints found as sediment oil residues [67]. Mesocosm WAF studies using a number 2 fuel oil [3,68], a 42% by weight, evaporatively weathered DWH (MC252) oil [62], and Marlin platform oil (this study) half-lives ranged from 0.9 to 10 days.…”

Section: Half-livessupporting

confidence: 62%

Mesocosm experiments to better understand hydrocarbon half-lives for oil and oil dispersant mixtures

et al. 2020

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Concerns on the timing and processes associated with petroleum degradation were raised after the use of Corexit during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. There is a lack of understanding of the removal of oil associated with flocculate materials to the sediment. Mesocosm studies employing coastal and open-ocean seawater from the Gulf of Mexico were undertaken to examine changes in oil concentration and composition with time. The water accommodated fractions (WAF) and chemically enhanced WAF (CEWAF) produced using Macondo surrogate oil and Corexit were followed over 3-4 days in controlled environmental conditions. Environmental half-lives of estimated oil equivalents (EOE), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), n-alkanes (C10-C35), isoprenoids pristane and phytane, and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were determined. EOE and PAH concentrations decreased exponentially following first-order decay rate kinetics. WAF, CEWAF and DCEWAF (a 10X CEWAF dilution) treatments half-lives ranged from 0.9 to 3.2 days for EOE and 0.5 to 3.3 days for PAH, agreeing with estimates from previous mesocosm and field studies. The aliphatic half-lives for CEWAF and DECWAF treatments ranged from 0.8 to 2.0 days, but no half-life for WAF could be calculated as concentrations were below the detection limits. Biodegradation occurred in all treatments based on the temporal decrease of the nC 17 /pristane and nC 18 /phytane ratios. The heterogeneity observed in all treatments was likely due to the hydrophobicity of oil and weathering processes occurring at different rates and times. The presence of dispersant did not dramatically change the half-lives of oil. Comparing degradation of oil alone as well as with dispersant present is critical to determine the fate and transport of these materials in the ocean.

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Section: Half-livessupporting

confidence: 62%

Mesocosm experiments to better understand hydrocarbon half-lives for oil and oil dispersant mixtures

et al. 2020

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“…There was also a significant freshet of increased outflow from the Mississippi River during the DwH oil spill that peaked in mid-May (Kourafalou and Androulidakis [46]). The sediment carried in the river water could have led to significant sunken oil (Brakstad et al [154]). Most research on sunken oil previous to the DwH oil was related to oils heavier than seawater, such as Heavy Fuel Oils (HFOs) (Jacketti et al [155]).…”

Section: Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress in Operational Modeling in Support of Oil Spill Response

Barker

Kourafalou

Beegle-Krause

et al. 2020

JMSE

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Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident of a massive blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists from government, industry, and academia collaborated to advance oil spill modeling and share best practices in model algorithms, parameterizations, and application protocols. This synergy was greatly enhanced by research funded under the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), a 10-year enterprise that allowed unprecedented collection of observations and data products, novel experiments, and international collaborations that focused on the Gulf of Mexico, but resulted in the generation of scientific findings and tools of broader value. Operational oil spill modeling greatly benefited from research during the GoMRI decade. This paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of the related scientific advances, remaining challenges, and future outlook. Two main modeling components are discussed: Ocean circulation and oil spill models, to provide details on all attributes that contribute to the success and limitations of the integrated oil spill forecasts. These forecasts are discussed in tandem with uncertainty factors and methods to mitigate them. The paper focuses on operational aspects of oil spill modeling and forecasting, including examples of international operational center practices, observational needs, communication protocols, and promising new methodologies.

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“…Further, the realistic conditions in the real spills need to be considered in order to make the model more accurate. Specifically, in the DWH spill, the high-pressure during the initial release, the accommodation of the local bacteria to the presence of natural oil seepage, and dilution in the open water [94] need to be taken into account. For probabilistic models, more transformation processes, like biodegradation, can be considered, for example, by introducing a probabilistic model for the decay of oil concentrations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under the conditions in the DWH spill, Chan et al [93] found that droplets with diameter less than 1.5 mm, corresponding to U N < 0.3, entered and were transported within the intrusion layer. As partial components of the oil droplets dissolve and biodegrade in the water column, the oil droplets become denser and may leave the intrusion layer and sink to the bottom [94]. Different values were taken in [95] with droplets diameter <3.5 mm, corresponding to U N < 0.6.…”

Section: Sizes Of Oil Droplet In the Intrusion Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the leak was closed in the DWH spill, MOSSFA was the dominant mechanism [108] that moved oil from the surface and the water column to the seafloor [110,111]. MOSSFA formation is similar to coagulation processes in wastewater treatment in that the transparent exopolymer particles connect the colloids such as living organisms, inorganic matter, detritus and oil droplets in the water column to form larger-size precipitates [94]. The marine oil snow was also observed in the Ixtoc-I spill [112,113].…”

Section: Mossfamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Formation, Detection, and Modeling of Submerged Oil: A Review

Beegle-Krause

Englehardt

2020

JMSE

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Submerged oil, oil in the water column (neither at the surface nor on the bottom), was found in the form of oil droplet layers in the mid depths between 900–1300 m in the Gulf of Mexico during and following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The subsurface peeling layers of submerged oil droplets were released from the well blowout plume and moved along constant density layers (also known as isopycnals) in the ocean. The submerged oil layers were a challenge to locate during the oil spill response. To better understand and find submerged oil layers, we review the mechanisms of submerged oil formation, along with detection methods and modeling techniques. The principle formation mechanisms under stratified and cross-current conditions and the concepts for determining the depths of the submerged oil layers are reviewed. Real-time in situ detection methods and various sensors were used to reveal submerged oil characteristics, e.g., colored dissolved organic matter and dissolved oxygen levels. Models are used to locate and to predict the trajectories and concentrations of submerged oil. These include deterministic models based on hydrodynamical theory, and probabilistic models exploiting statistical theory. The theoretical foundations, model inputs and the applicability of these models during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are reviewed, including the pros and cons of these two types of models. Deterministic models provide a comprehensive prediction on the concentrations of the submerged oil and may be calibrated using the field data. Probabilistic models utilize the field observations but only provide the relative concentrations of the submerged oil and potential future locations. We find that the combination of a probabilistic integration of real-time detection with trajectory model output appears to be a promising approach to support emergency response efforts in locating and tracking submerged oil in the field.

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A critical review of marine snow in the context of oil spills and oil spill dispersant treatment with focus on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Cited by 60 publications

References 77 publications

Mesocosm experiments to better understand hydrocarbon half-lives for oil and oil dispersant mixtures

Mesocosm experiments to better understand hydrocarbon half-lives for oil and oil dispersant mixtures

Progress in Operational Modeling in Support of Oil Spill Response

Formation, Detection, and Modeling of Submerged Oil: A Review

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