Some environmental aspects of marine hydrocarbon bacteriology

Abstract

This paper reviews some of the field aspects of hydrocarbon bacteriology in the marine environment. The first section recapitulates the current position with regard to the input of polluting oil into the sea and the main environmental factors which govern the rate of oil breakdown. The second deals with the 1991 oil spill during the Gulf War and what is known about the bacteriology of that area, together with some recent data from Japan. Thirdly a critical review of the theory and practise of bioremediation as applied to contaminated beaches in several parts of the world leads to the conclusion that there are still a lot of unknown variables that must be better understood before the method can be of widespread use. Finally a short review of gaseous hydrocarbons in the sea suggests that methane from petrogenic or biogenic sources is of both practical and theoretical interest and importance for the future.

Effects of Biostimulation on Growth of Indigenous Bacteria in Sub-Antarctic Soil Contamined with Oil Hydrocarbons

“…However, one exception can be noted (diesel oil + Inipol mesocosm) where the optimum temperature was below 20°C. It is reasonable to assume that the limiting factor was the temperature characteristics of the enzymes that carry out the initial oxidative steps (Floodgate, 1995). In the present study, similar bacterial numbers were observed at three different temperatures.…”

Prospect, isolation, and characterization of microorganisms for potential use in cases of oil bioremediation along the coast of Trindade Island, Brazil

“…Various microbial genera have been described as being able to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. Of these, some like Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, Rhodococcus, Nocardia, Achromobacter and Corynebacteria are well known by their ability to use the hydrocarbons in water (Brooks et al, 1978;Floodgate, 1995;Cury, 2002;Widada et al, 2002;Baek et al, 2007;Rodrigues et al, 2009;Kostka et al, 2011).…”

Microbes and the Dissipation of Energy and Respiration: From Cells to Ecosystems

“…Not all microbes can break down all DOM (Floodgate, 1995). The oceanic DOM pool represents a continuum of biological lability, ranging from refractory material that turns over on time scales of centuries to millennia (Williams and Druffel, 1987;Bauer et al, 1992) to more available material turning over on time scales of minutes to days (Cherrier et al, 1996;Carlson, 2002).…”