Oil-particle interactions and submergence from crude oil spills in marine and freshwater environments: review of the science and future research needs

Fitzpatrick, Faith A.; Boufadel, M. C.; Johnson, Rex; Lee, Kenneth W.; Graan, Thomas P.; Bejarano, Adriana C.; Zhu, Zhenduo; Waterman, David M.; Capone, Daniel M.; Hayter, Earl J.; Hamilton, Stephen K.; Dekker, Timothy J.; García, Marcelo H.; Hassan, Jacob S.

doi:10.3133/ofr20151076

Cited by 36 publications

(56 citation statements)

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“…Although microscopic aggregates and macroscopic agglomerates are similar in composition, there are vast differences in the way they affect the recovery of oiled shorelines. The incorporation of oil into microscopic OPAs is a beneficial process because OPAs are easily dispersed, easy to degrade, and are expected to have minimal effects on marine organisms (Fitzpatrick et al, ). On the contrary, the formation of macroscopic SOMs/SOAs is a detrimental process because these aggregates hinder the degradation of oil, are toxic to marine organisms, and can lead to the periodic reoiling of the shoreline for years following a spill (Clement et al, ).…”

Section: Scope and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A few later studies have also occasionally used the term “oil‐sediment aggregate (OSA)” to refer to OMA (Bandara et al, ; Cai et al, ), while other studies have used the term “oil‐suspended particulate matter aggregates (OSA)” (Gong et al, ; Loh et al, ; Sun & Zheng, ). Recently, the term “oil‐particle aggregate (OPA)” has become a preferred term to refer to microscopic aggregates (Fitzpatrick et al, ; Zhao et al, ). OSA and OPA are normally used in a more general context to describe oil interactions with inorganic minerals and/or organic particulates in the water column, although the term OSA has also been used in the past to refer to experimental results that formed microscopic aggregates exclusively with minerals (Khelifa et al, ; Khelifa et al, ; Sun et al, ; Sun et al, ).…”

Section: Terminologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…OPAs were also observed to play a significant role in the remediation of experimentally oiled beach plots that were part of the Svalbard shoreline field trials (Lee et al, ; Sergy et al, ). In addition to marine environments, OPAs have also been observed to form in freshwater systems impacted by oil spills (Fitzpatrick et al, ).…”

Section: Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This critical salinity value might be as low as 0.15 g/L (Le Floch et al, ) or as high as 35 g/L (Khelifa et al, ) depending on oil and sediment properties. This demonstrates why OPA formation is more effective in marine environments than in freshwater environments, although OPAs have been shown to form in both systems (Fitzpatrick et al, ).…”

Section: Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Almost all of the previous reviews that summarize the interactions between oil and sediment have focused exclusively on OPAs (Fitzpatrick et al, 2015;Gong et al, 2014;Loh et al, 2014;Loh & Yim, 2016;Sun & Zheng, 2009). More recently, Warnock et al (2015) provided a general review of various forms of oil spill debris deposited on coastal environments; however, their study primarily focused on reviewing different forms of macroscopic marine tar residues formed from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.…”

Section: Scope and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

Gustitus

Clement

2017

Reviews of Geophysics

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Crude oil that is spilled in marine environments often interacts with suspended sediments to form residues that can impact the recovery of the affected nearshore ecosystems. When spilled oil and sediment interact, they can form either small microscopic aggregates, commonly referred to as oil‐particle aggregates, or large macroscopic agglomerates, referred to as sediment‐oil agglomerates or sediment‐oil mats. Although these different sized oil‐sediment residues have similar compositions, they are formed under different conditions and have different fates in nearshore environments; the goal of this review is to synthesize our current understanding of these two types of residues. We believe that researchers who focus solely on studying either microscopic aggregates or macroscopic agglomerates could benefit from understanding the research findings available in the other field. In this study, we compare and contrast various processes that control the formation, fate, and impacts of these two types of residues in nearshore environments and point out some of the knowledge gaps in this field. Additionally, these residues have been referred to by many names in the past, leading to confusion and misconceptions at times. In this effort, we recommend a uniform nomenclature to distinguish them based on their physical size. Our overall aim is to bridge the gap between microscopic and macroscopic oil‐sediment residue literature to foster a robust exchange of ideas, which we believe can lead to the development of efficient strategies for managing oil spills that affect nearshore environments.

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Section: Scope and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Terminologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Scope and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

Gustitus

Clement

2017

Reviews of Geophysics

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Simulating a Spill of Diluted Bitumen: Environmental Weathering and Submergence in a Model Freshwater System

Stoyanovich

Yang

Hanson

et al. 2019

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The main petroleum product transported through pipelines in Canada is diluted bitumen (dilbit), a semiliquid form of heavy crude oil mixed with natural gas condensates to facilitate transport. The weathering, fate, behavior, and environmental effects of dilbit are crucial to consider when responding to a spill; however, few environmental studies on dilbit have been completed. We report on 11‐d‐long experimental spills of dilbit (Cold Lake Winter Blend) in outdoor microcosms meant to simulate a low‐energy aquatic system containing natural lake water and sediments treated with low (1:8000 oil:water) and high (1:800 oil:water) volumes of dilbit. In the first 24 h of the experiment, volatile hydrocarbons quickly evaporated from the dilbit, resulting in increased dilbit density and viscosity. These changes in dilbit's physical and chemical properties ultimately led to its submergence after 8 d. We also detected rapid accumulation of polycyclic aromatic compounds in the water column of the treated microcosms following the spills. The present study provides new information on the environmental fate and behavior of dilbit in a freshwater environment that will be critical to environmental risk assessments of proposed pipeline projects. In particular, the study demonstrates the propensity for dilbit to sink under ambient environmental conditions in freshwaters typical of many boreal lakes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2621–2628. © 2019 SETAC

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Surface‐Dwelling Aquatic Insects in Low‐Energy Freshwater Environments Are Highly Impacted by Oil Spills and the Surface Washing Agent Corexit EC9580A Used in Oil Spill Response

Black

Hanson

Palace

et al. 2021

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Physical impacts of diluted bitumen (dilbit) and the application of surface washing agents (SWAs) in freshwater have not been characterized for aquatic invertebrates. These compounds are known to reduce surface tension in feather and fur microstructures of birds and mammals, and are thus likely to affect the buoyancy of surface‐dwelling aquatic insects. We evaluated impacts of fresh dilbit and a SWA on water striders (Metrobates sp.), which are surface‐dwelling organisms that rely on fine‐hair microstructures to remain buoyant. We report nominal sheen thickness values that cause 50% immobility in 48 h as determined from exposure studies in outdoor tanks. A comparison of our data with those from historic oil spill volumes in Canada and the United States in the past 12 yr indicates that our reported nominal sheen thicknesses could have been reached or exceeded in 99% of historic spills when scaled to a small reference lake. The addition of Corexit EC9580A, a SWA approved for marine use in Canada, led to 100% immobility in striders within minutes, both in combination with oil and alone. Our study reveals an acute sensitivity to Corexit EC9580A and dilbit by surface‐dwelling insects and may be driven by disruption of mechanisms of buoyancy. We highlight a need to evaluate physical impacts, typically excluded from standard toxicity testing, within the context of spill impact mitigation assessments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1298–1307. © 2020 SETAC

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Oil-particle interactions and submergence from crude oil spills in marine and freshwater environments: review of the science and future research needs

Cited by 36 publications

References 50 publications

Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

Simulating a Spill of Diluted Bitumen: Environmental Weathering and Submergence in a Model Freshwater System

Surface‐Dwelling Aquatic Insects in Low‐Energy Freshwater Environments Are Highly Impacted by Oil Spills and the Surface Washing Agent Corexit EC9580A Used in Oil Spill Response

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