Oil Impacts on Coastal Wetlands: Implications for the Mississippi River Delta Ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Mendelssohn, Irving A.; Andersen, Gary L.; Baltz, Donald M.; Caffey, Rex H.; Carman, Kevin R.; Fleeger, John W.; Joye, Samantha B.; Lin, Qinhao; Maltby, Edward; Overton, Edward B.; Rozas, Lawrence P.

doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.6.7

Cited by 275 publications

(184 citation statements)

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“…It has been estimated that between 4.2 and 4.9 million barrels of oil were released making it the largest accidental oil spill in history. [1][2][3] Numerous studies have examined the fate and impact of released Macondo oil within the plume [4][5][6][7][8] , on the surface of the Gulf 5,9,10 , buried in ocean sediments (either directly or as marine snow) 6,10 , in marshes [11][12][13][14] , and on beaches. 10,12,14-19 Not surprisingly, the environmental fate of the oil was influenced by many well documented weathering processes.…”

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Photooxidation and Biodegradation on the Fate of Oil Spilled During the Deepwater Horizon Incident: Advanced Stages of Weathering

Harriman

Zito

Podgorski

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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While the biogeochemical forces influencing the weathering of spilled oil have been investigated for decades, the environmental fate and effects of “oxyhydrocarbons” in sand patties deposited on beaches are not well-known. We collected sand patties deposited in the swash zone on Gulf of Mexico beaches following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. When sand patties were exposed to simulated sunlight, a larger concentration of dissolved organic carbon was leached into seawater than the corresponding dark controls. This result was consistent with the general ease of movement of seawater through the sand patties as shown with a 35SO4 2– radiotracer. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as optical measurements revealed that the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached from the sand patties under dark and irradiated conditions were substantially different, but neither had a significant inhibitory influence on the endogenous rate of aerobic or anaerobic microbial respiratory activity. Rather, the dissolved organic photooxidation products stimulated significantly more microbial O2 consumption (113 ± 4 μM) than either the dark (78 ± 2 μM) controls or the endogenous (38 μM ± 4) forms of DOM. The changes in the DOM quality and quantity were consistent with biodegradation as an explanation for the differences. These results confirm that sand patties undergo a gradual dissolution of DOM in both the dark and in the light, but photooxidation accelerates the production of water-soluble polar organic compounds that are relatively more amenable to aerobic biodegradation. As such, these processes represent previously unrecognized advanced weathering stages that are important in the ultimate transformation of spilled crude oil.

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Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Photooxidation and Biodegradation on the Fate of Oil Spilled During the Deepwater Horizon Incident: Advanced Stages of Weathering

Harriman

Zito

Podgorski

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…[3][4][5] Toxic events such as oil spill and harmful algal bloom (HAB) events are detrimental for coastal ecosystems and fisheries of the Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), and Alabama (AL) coast. In the aftermath of the DWH oil spill event, oil and dispersants reached the coastline in the nGoM and resulted in environmental damage in the Gulf States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inflow of shelf waters into the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay estuaries in October 2015

Cambazoglu

Soto

Howden

et al. 2017

J. Appl. Remote Sens

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Abstract. The exchange of coastal waters between the Mississippi Sound (MSS), Mobile Bay, and Mississippi Bight is an important pathway for oil and pollutants into coastal ecosystems. This study investigated an event of strong and persistent inflow of shelf waters into MSS and Mobile Bay during October 2015 by combining in situ measurements, satellite ocean color data, and ocean model predictions. Navy Coastal Ocean Model predicted high-salinity shelf waters continuously flowing into the estuarine system and forecasted low-salinity waters trapped inside the estuaries which did not flush out until the passage of tropical cyclone Patricia's remnants in late October. The October 2015 chlorophyll-a anomaly was significantly low inside and outside the MSS for the 2003 to 2015 time series. Similar low-chlorophyll-a anomalies were only seen in 2003. The October 2015 mean in situ salinities were up to 8 psu higher than mean from 2007 to 2015, and some estuarine stations showed persistent salinities above 30 psu for almost a month in agreement with model predictions. October 2015 was associated with low fall seasonal discharge, typical of fall season, and wind which was persistently out of the east to southeast °. These persistent wind conditions were linked to the observed anomalous conditions. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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“…Examples include the effects of contaminant emissions, e.g., hydrocarbons (e.g. Mendelssohn et al 2012); changes in biological communities such as those caused by fishing (Thrush and Dayton 2002); introduction of nonindigenous species, e.g., the Rapana whelk (Rapana venosa), potentially through shipping (Kerckhof et al 2006); and marine litter or microplastics (Cole et al 2011), which can affect a range of species by causing decreased feeding ability or even death. These multiple competing drivers and pressures create a complexity that makes governance of the marine environment a difficult and complicated task.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of achieving Good Environmental Status in the Northeast Atlantic

Alexander¹,

Kershaw²,

Cooper³

et al. 2015

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystem services is dependent on achieving and maintaining an adequate ecosystem state to prevent undue deterioration. Within the European Union, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires member states to achieve Good Environmental Status (GEnS), specified in terms of 11 descriptors. We analyzed the complexity of social-ecological factors to identify common critical issues that are likely to influence the achievement of GEnS in the Northeast Atlantic (NEA) more broadly, using three case studies. A conceptual model developed using a soft systems approach highlights the complexity of social and ecological phenomena that influence, and are likely to continue to influence, the state of ecosystems in the NEA. The development of the conceptual model raised four issues that complicate the implementation of the MSFD, the majority of which arose in the Pressures and State sections of the model: variability in the system, cumulative effects, ecosystem resilience, and conflicting policy targets. The achievement of GEnS targets for the marine environment requires the recognition and negotiation of trade-offs across a broad policy landscape involving a wide variety of stakeholders in the public and private sectors. Furthermore, potential cumulative effects may introduce uncertainty, particularly in selecting appropriate management measures. There also are endogenous pressures that society cannot control. This uncertainty is even more obvious when variability within the system, e.g., climate change, is accounted for. Also, questions related to the resilience of the affected ecosystem to specific pressures must be raised, despite a lack of current knowledge. Achieving good management and reaching GEnS require multidisciplinary assessments. The soft systems approach provides one mechanism for bringing multidisciplinary information together to look at the problems in a different light.

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Oil Impacts on Coastal Wetlands: Implications for the Mississippi River Delta Ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Cited by 275 publications

References 47 publications

Impact of Photooxidation and Biodegradation on the Fate of Oil Spilled During the Deepwater Horizon Incident: Advanced Stages of Weathering

Impact of Photooxidation and Biodegradation on the Fate of Oil Spilled During the Deepwater Horizon Incident: Advanced Stages of Weathering

Inflow of shelf waters into the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay estuaries in October 2015

Challenges of achieving Good Environmental Status in the Northeast Atlantic

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