Long-term biodegradation of crude oil in high-arctic backshore sediments: The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) after nearly four decades

Photochemistry of oil in marine systems: developments since the Deepwater Horizon spill

“…For anaerobic respiration, varying ratios of sediment and crumbled sand-patty were added to 120 mL bottles with 10 mL N 2 -bubbled seawater and 50 nCi 35 SO 4 2− under an 80 : 20 N 2 : CO 2 headspace and compared to a control using only endogenous inoculum. Aer 7 days of incubation at room temperature, the H 2 35 S generated by the microbes was volatilized, then trapped for scintillation counting. When analyzing the respirometer data concerning both the sulde production and O 2 consumption, the authors found that the addition of sand-patty derived DOM did not result in a decrease in respiration of the microora, but rather it remained the same or even resulted in an increase, thereby indicating that the sand patty components are not toxic to the local Gulf of Mexico microora but may stimulate microbial respiration and undergo biodegradation.…”

“…Biodegradation is oen regarded as being on par with emulsication in terms of relevance, beginning several hours aer a spill for highly bioavailable compounds and extending for years for more recalcitrant species. [35][36][37] Physical changes caused by evaporation and dissolution shi the distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons and affect the physical properties through evaporation of low molecular weight species, such as shorter alkanes, leaving the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons in the oil phase. 15 Based on the report of Freeman and Ward, 38 photodissolution accounted for the fate of 3-17% of DWH surface oil.…”