Oil reaching the coast: Is Brazil on the route of international oceanic dumping?

Zacharias, Daniel Constantino; Crespo, Natália Machado; da Silva, Natália Pillar; da Rocha, Rosmeri Porfirio; Gama, Carine Malagolini; Ribeiro e Silva, Sergio B.N.; Harari, Joseph

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115624

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…However, many of them benefit from insufficient surveillance to illegally discharge oil in the ocean during operational activities, including cleaning bilges and tanks. 18 Accidental discharge of oil is also related.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oil has reached the Brazilian coast, in particular the equatorial northern and northeastern shores, on a regular basis. 18,40 This conclusion is supported by a large number of oil spills of unrelated origin�invariably produced in foreign countries�that reach the Brazilian coast. addition, the coastal regions most vulnerable to oil spills are adjacent to oil tanker routes.…”

Section: Multivariate Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 94%

“…15−17 In most cases, the oil has not been produced in Brazil but has apparently been dumped in international waters by passing ships before being carried ashore by ocean currents, representing a worldwide issue. 18,19 Forensic environmental geochemistry has been applied successfully to the assessment of petroleum-related contaminants in marine environments. This approach can determine the source of these events, the timing of their release, and the weathering processes that affect the contaminants based on the scientific principles of organic geochemistry.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In January 2022, a novel oil spill unrelated to the 2019 event was recorded on the coast of Ceará, which affected 400 km of the shore with more than 8000 L of oil. , In late 2022, tarballs were washed up all along the coast of northeastern Brazil. − In most cases, the oil has not been produced in Brazil but has apparently been dumped in international waters by passing ships before being carried ashore by ocean currents, representing a worldwide issue. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forensic Geochemistry Reveals International Ship Dumping as a Source of New Oil Spill in Brazil’s Coastline (Bahia) in Late 2023

Martins,

Pereira,

Nascimento

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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In the present study, we applied forensic geochemistry to investigate the origin and fate of spilled oils like tarballs stranded at the beaches of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil, in September 2023, based on their fingerprints. Saturated and aromatic compounds were assessed by gas chromatography, and the oceanic surface circulation patterns were deciphered to determine the geographic origin of the spill. Contamination by petroleum represents an enormous threat to the unique, species-rich ecosystems of the study area. The geochemical fingerprint of the oil spilled in 2023 did not correlate with those of previous events, including the one in 2019, the one in early 2022 in Ceará, and an extensive spill across the Brazilian Northeast in late 2022. However, the fingerprint did correlate with crude oils produced by Middle Eastern countries, most likely Kuwait. The oil of the 2023 spill had a carbonate marine origin from early mature source rocks. These findings, together with the moderate weathering of the 2023 tarballs and the ocean circulation patterns at the time of the event, indicate that the oil was discharged close to the shore of Brazil, to the east or southeast of Salvador, by a tanker on an international route in the South Atlantic.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multivariate Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%