Tar ball frequency data and analytical results from a long-term beach monitoring program

Owens, Edward H.; Mauseth, Gary S.; Martin, Colin; Lamarche, Alain; Brown, John H.

doi:10.1016/s0025-326x(02)00057-7

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…1–3 Particularly affected were the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 2–4 Though the thick slick of oil is no longer a great threat to the ecosystem, long-term consequences are hard to predict.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tar Balls from Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill: Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFR) Formation During Crude Weathering

Kiruri

Dellinger

Lomnicki

2013

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Tar balls collected from the Gulf of Mexico shores of Louisiana and Florida after the BP oil spill have shown the presence of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra characteristic of organic free radicals as well as transition metal ions, predominantly iron(III) and manganese(II). Two types of organic radicals were distinguished: an asphaltene radical species typically found in crude oil (g = 2.0035) and a new type of radical resulting from the environmental transformations of crude (g = 2.0041−47). Pure asphaltene radicals are resonance stabilized over a polyaromatic structure and are stable in air and unreactive. The new radicals were identified as products of partial oxidation of crude components and result from the interaction of the oxidized aromatics with metal ion centers. These radicals are similar to semiquinone-type, environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) previously observed in combustion-generated particulate and contaminated soils.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tar Balls from Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill: Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFR) Formation During Crude Weathering

Kiruri

Dellinger

Lomnicki

2013

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Similar to the findings of Butler et al ( 1998 ), areas of divergence had minimal tar quantities. Beached tar surveys have been conducted to measure tar balls occurring near Coal Oil Point on the California coast, a well-known region of natural oil seeps (Del Sontro et al 2007 ) and along the Oregon coast to monitor effects of the New Carissa spill in 1999 (Owens et al 2002 ). Del Sontro et al ( 2007 ) found seasonal trends in total tar accumulation in which summer quantities were an order of magnitude higher than winter quantities; a multiple regression analysis revealed that 34 % of the tar variability was explained by a combination of onshore advection via wind and low swell heights inhibiting slick dispersion.…”

Section: Distribution and Prevalencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Del Sontro et al ( 2007 ) found seasonal trends in total tar accumulation in which summer quantities were an order of magnitude higher than winter quantities; a multiple regression analysis revealed that 34 % of the tar variability was explained by a combination of onshore advection via wind and low swell heights inhibiting slick dispersion. Along the Oregon coast, Owens et al ( 2002 ) found that 48 % of the collected tar balls were not consistent with those from the new Carissa source oils, and therefore were a result of “background oiling,” not associated with specific known events. The authors note that this is an important consideration that must be considered when developing cleanup criteria.…”

Section: Distribution and Prevalencementioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Tar Residues: a Review

Warnock

Hagen

Passeri

2015

Water Air Soil Pollut

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Marine tar residues originate from natural and anthropogenic oil releases into the ocean environment and are formed after liquid petroleum is transformed by weathering, sedimentation, and other processes. Tar balls, tar mats, and tar patties are common examples of marine tar residues and can range in size from millimeters in diameter (tar balls) to several meters in length and width (tar mats). These residues can remain in the ocean environment indefinitely, decomposing or becoming buried in the sea floor. However, in many cases, they are transported ashore via currents and waves where they pose a concern to coastal recreation activities, the seafood industry and may have negative effects on wildlife. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on marine tar residue formation, transport, degradation, and distribution. Methods of detection and removal of marine tar residues and their possible ecological effects are discussed, in addition to topics of marine tar research that warrant further investigation. Emphasis is placed on benthic tar residues, with a focus on the remnants of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in particular, which are still affecting the northern Gulf of Mexico shores years after the leaking submarine well was capped.

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“…Denser-than-water (i.e., non-floating) tar balls may also be formed and beached as a result of the inclusion of sand and other solids (Iliffe and Knap, 1979) or by wave action on subtidal nearshore oil deposits (Bernabeu et al, 2013). Because floating tar balls can be transported over large distances by ocean currents, their presence has been widely reported in the waters and on the shorelines of the world's seas and ocean (Kvenvolden et al, 1995;Coles and Al-Riyami, 1996;Joyce, 1998;Kornilios et al, 1998;Zakaria et al, 2001;Owens et al, 2002;Nemirovskaya, 2011;Suneel et al, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

A Review of Observations of Floating Tar in the Sargasso Sea

Peters¹,

Siuda²

2014

oceanog

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Floating tar balls are a product of weathering of crude oil in the marine environment. They have been found to be prevalent in the world ocean, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s before stricter controls on petroleum transport and handling were in effect. Much of the early research on the occurrence and composition of pelagic tar balls was conducted in the North Atlantic Ocean. Research and time-series assessments in the Sargasso Sea since that time have documented that floating tar balls sampled by neuston nets in the open ocean and washed up on shorelines have declined in the past two decades.

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Tar ball frequency data and analytical results from a long-term beach monitoring program

Cited by 18 publications

References 10 publications

Tar Balls from Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill: Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFR) Formation During Crude Weathering

Tar Balls from Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill: Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFR) Formation During Crude Weathering

Marine Tar Residues: a Review

A Review of Observations of Floating Tar in the Sargasso Sea

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