Long-term biological effects of petroleum residues on fiddler crabs in salt marshes

In September 1969, the Florida barge spilled 700,000L of No. 2 fuel oil into the salt marsh sediments of Wild Harbor (Buzzards Bay, MA). Today the aboveground environment appears unaffected, but a substantial amount of moderately degraded petroleum still remains 8-20cm below the surface. The salt marsh fiddler crabs, Uca pugnax, burrow into the sediments at depths of 5-25cm, and are chronically exposed to the spilled oil. Behavioral studies conducted with U. pugnax from Wild Harbor and a control site, Great Sippewissett marsh, found that crabs exposed to the oil avoided burrowing into oiled layers, suffered delayed escape responses, lowered feeding rates, and achieved lower densities. The oil residues are therefore biologically active and affect U. pugnax populations. Our results add new knowledge about long-term consequences of spilled oil, a dimension that should be included when assessing oil-impacted areas and developing management plans designed to restore, rehabilitate, or replace impacted areas.     

A numerical oil spill model based on a hybrid method

The purpose of this paper is the development of a hybrid particle tracking/Eulerian-Lagrangian approach for the simulation of spilled oil in coastal areas. Oil discharge from the source is modeled by the release of particles. When the oil slick thickness or the oil concentration reaches a critical value, particles are mapped on slick thickness or node concentrations, and the calculations proceed in the Eulerian-Lagrangian mode. To acquire accurate environment information, the model is coupled with the 3-D free-surface hydrodynamics model (POM) and the third-generation wave model (SWAN). By simulating the oil processes of spreading, advection, turbulent diffusion, evaporation, emulsification, dissolution and shoreline deposition, it has the ability to predict the horizontal movement of surface oil slick, the vertical distribution of oil particles, the concentration in the water column and the mass balance of spilled oil. An accidental oil release near Dalian coastal waters is simulated to validate the developed model. Compared with the satellite images of oil slicks on the surface, the numerical results indicate that the model has a reasonable accuracy.     

Dynamics of oil product distributions in water and bottom sediments of the sea of Azov and the Black Sea after ship accidents in the Kerch Strait

The dynamics of concentrations of oil products spilled into the aquatic ecosystem as a result of accidents in the Kerch Strait is discussed. Provision is made for the analysis of the results of long-term monitoring and for the revealing of differences in concentrations and distribution of oil hydrocarbons in the Sea of Azov and in the Black Sea after emergency spills. The available information was used to outline the course of events that led to such redistribution of spilled mazut in marine ecosystems.     

Development of oil hydrocarbon fingerprinting and identification techniques

Oil, refined product, and pyrogenic hydrocarbons are the most frequently discovered contaminants in the environment. To effectively determine the fate of spilled oil in the environment and to successfully identify source(s) of spilled oil and petroleum products is, therefore, extremely important in many oil-related environmental studies and liability cases. This article briefly reviews the recent development of chemical analysis methodologies which are most frequently used in oil spill characterization and identification studies and environmental forensic investigations. The fingerprinting and data interpretation techniques discussed include oil spill identification protocol, tiered analytical approach, generic features and chemical composition of oils, effects of weathering on hydrocarbon fingerprinting, recognition of distribution patterns of petroleum hydrocarbons, oil type screening and differentiation, analysis of “source-specific marker” compounds, determination of diagnostic ratios of specific oil constituents, stable isotopic analysis, application of various statistical and numerical analysis tools, and application of other analytical techniques. The issue of how biogenic and pyrogenic hydrocarbons are distinguished from petrogenic hydrocarbons is also addressed.     

The Effect of Plunging Water of Waves on the Entrainment of Spilled Oil at Sea

Water Resources - The study of oil entrainment mechanism is the basis of the vertical process modeling of spilled oil at sea. In order to reveal the effect of plunging breaking waves, a dripping...     

Extent and frequency of vessel oil spills in US marine protected areas

Little is known about how marine protected areas (MPAs) may be vulnerable to vessel oil spills in the United States. This study investigated individual size, frequency, and total amount of vessel oil spilled in US MPAs, and how characteristics of MPAs and individual spill events influenced spills. Vessel oil spills in US waters (2002-06) and MPA boundaries were mapped. Total number and volume of oil spills inside and outside MPAs were computed. Results show that the presence of a MPA does not seem to prevent vessel oil spills or reduce the amount of oil spilled, and that a variety of MPA attributes (e.g., scale of protection, fishing restrictions, and others) and spill event characteristics (e.g., vessel type, year of spill, and others) affect oil spills inside and outside MPAs. These results can be used to develop MPA rules and marine transportation policies that reduce the vulnerability of sensitive resources to oil spills.     

The Dona Marika oil spill

Last August, 3,000 tons of petrol (gasolene) was spilled in Milford Haven when the tanker, Dona Marika, ran aground. Since most documented oil spills in British waters have been of crude oil, there is considerable interest in knowing the damage caused by this spillage of a refined oil product.     

Reconnaissance of an oil spill

When oil is spilled in the sea at a temperature near its pour point, it can become invisible to aerial reconnaissance through being fragmented by wave action. The lumps formed drift in the wind at a velocity less than 2–4% of the wind speed and the velocity of oil lenses.     

Performance of some oil dispersants on oil slicks of varying thickness

Laboratory tests have shown that thicker layers (up to 2 cm thick) of (heavy) spilled oils can be successfully treated with currently available oil spill dispersants provided certain criteria relating to soaking time or thorough mixing of oil with dispersant can be met.     

Oil pollution and seabirds: Atlantic Canada 1976–1977 and some implications for northern environments

Chemical analyses of the oils on dead or moribund seabirds from Atlantic Canada during the winter of 1976–1977 indicated that some of the birds were contaminated with oil spilled by the Argo Merchant grounding, some by oil probably from the Grand Zenith sinking, and still others by oil from various small local spills of unknown origin. These victims demonstrated that an extremely minute oiling may lead to the death of a seabird when the effects of the oil are synergistically combined with the stresses imposed by severe environmental conditions. This may intensify the impact of oil in the Arctic and thereby have a profound effect on seabird populations.     

Determining the oil weighting factor of oil-water emulsion based on the fractional Weierstrass scattering model

The formation of oil-water emulsion often occurs when oil is spilled into the ocean. Oil weighting factor of oil-water emulsion is one of the most important parameters for emergent oil-spill microwave monitoring. A new method is proposed here to evaluate the oil weighting factor based on fractional Weierstrass scattering model. By using the proposed method, we analyze the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) L-band fully polarimetric data acquired during 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster event in the Gulf of Mexico. The result shows that our method performs well in evaluating oil weighting factor of oil-covered area.     

Potential for photoenhanced toxicity of spilled oil in Prince William Sound and Gulf of Alaska waters

Photoenhanced toxicity is the increase in the toxicity of a chemical in the presence of ultraviolet light (UV) compared to a standard laboratory test conducted with fluorescent lighting (minimal UV). Oil products, weathered oil, and specific polycyclic aromatic compounds present in oil are 2 to greater than 1000 times more toxic in the presence of UV. The photoenhanced toxicity of oil to fish and aquatic invertebrates appears to occur through a process of photosensitization, rather than photomodification of the aqueous phase oil. In photosensitization, the bioaccumulated chemical transfers light energy to other molecules causing toxicity through tissue damage rather than a narcosis mechanism. The available evidence indicates that phototoxic components of oil are specific 3-5 ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocycles. Determinants of photoenhanced toxicity include the extent of oil bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms and the spectra and intensity of UV exposure. No studies have specifically investigated the photoenhanced toxicity of spilled oil in Alaska waters. Although there are substantial uncertainties, the results of this evaluation indicate there is potential for photoenhanced toxicity of spilled oil in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. The potential hazard of photoenhanced toxicity may be greatest for embryo and larval stages of aquatic organisms that are relatively translucent to UV and inhabit the photic zone of the water column and intertidal areas. Photoenhanced toxicity should be considered in oil spill response because the spatial and temporal extent of injury to aquatic organisms may be underestimated if based on standard laboratory bioassays and existing toxicity databases. Additionally, the choice of counter measures and oil removal operations may influence the degree of photoenhanced toxicity.     

A biological oil adsorption filter

A new oil adsorption method called adsorption filtration (AF) has been developed. It is a technology where by oil residues can be cleaned from water by running it through a simple filter made from freeze treated, dried, milled and then fragmented plant material. By choosing suitable plants and fragmentation sizes it is possible to produce filters, which pass water but adsorb oil. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibilities of manufacturing oil adsorbing filter materials from reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) or hemp fibre (Cannabis sativa L.). The oil (80 ml) was mixed with de-ionised water (200 ml) and this mixture was filtered through 10 or 20 g adsorption filters. Fine spring harvested hemp fibre (diameter less than 1 mm) and reed canary grass fragments adsorb 2-4 g of oil per gram of adsorption material compared to 1-3 g of water. Adsorption filtration is thus a novel way of gathering spilled oil in shallow coastal waters before the oil reaches the shore.     

Mexican oil spill: A toxicity study of oil accommodated in seawater on marine invertebrates

The Mexican Ixtoc oil well blew out on 3 June, 1979. Since then more than 3.5 × 10⁵ tonnes of crude oil have entered the Gulf of Mexico. This is probably the largest oil spill in the world's history. Two months later (7 August, 1979), the spilled oil began moving to the Texas coastal waters and the well is not yet capped. Although laboratory tests showed that the aged oil was not acutely toxic to some marine invertebrates, further work needs to be conducted to determine its possible chronic effects on sensitive ecosystems such as the Laguna Madre.     

The Eleni V oil spill: Return to normal conditions

The fate and effects of Eleni V oil spilled in May 1978 have been followed until May 1980. At a mechanically-cleaned and exposed beach the hydrocarbon concentrations of inshore water and mussel tissue returned to background values between 300 and 400 days after the beaches became visually clean. Oil remaining on the surface of a protected beach still showed little degradation compared to oil buried in a disposal pit. Even on mobile beaches subject to high wave-energy, mechanical retrieval and clean-up of such a persistent heavy fuel oil is considered necessary unless its redistribution by wave action over adjoining beaches and into sediments is considered acceptable.     

The West Falmouth oil spill after 20 years: Fate of fuel oil compounds and effects on animals

The barge Florida spilled No. 2 fuel oil into Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts on 29 September 1969. Sediments from five of the original stations were sampled in August 1989 and analysed for fuel oil hydrocarbons. Two subtidal and one intertidal marsh station showed no evidence of fuel oil. One subtidal mud core had traces of biodegraded fuel oil at 10–15 cm. One marsh core contained 10⁻⁶ g g⁻¹ dry wt of weathered and biodegraded fuel oil aromatic hydrocarbons and cycloalkanes at 5–10 cm with lesser concentrations at 0–5 and 10–15 cm. Although present in trace concentrations, these hydrocarbons appear to be slightly inducing cytochrome P4501A in marsh fish (Fundulus heteroclitus).     

黑龙江肇东痕量氢野外定点观测实验与分析

利用ATG-300H便携式测氢仪,对黑龙江省高寒地区肇东痕量氢进行野外定点连续观测,并对泰来3.3级地震震兆关系进行初步分析。结果表明:肇东痕量氢表现为高值突跳,异常幅度大,持续时间短;氢气浓度4组高值异常,表现为"先上升、后下降"趋势,具有持续性和重复性。通过对高寒地区肇东痕量氢异常特征及异常机理分析,为痕量氢资料在地震预测中的应用提供一定的观测依据。     

Monitoring biomarkers in fish (Lepidorhombus boscii and Callionymus lyra) from the northern Iberian shelf after the Prestige oil spill

Hepatic biomarker responses were measured in two demersal fish species (Lepidorhombus boscii and Callionymus lyra) from the northern Iberian shelf associated with the massive Prestige oil spill (POS), five months after the accident. The biomarkers selected were 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), and DNA integrity. Interspecies differences and spatial variations in biomarker responses were observed along the shelf. GST, GR and CAT activities were significantly elevated in L. boscii in the most oil impacted area (Finisterre) and positively correlated (p<0.05) with POS tar aggregate densities. The lack of previous data from the area together with the existence of chronic background pollution of the shelf implies that the observed biomarker responses cannot be solely attributed to the petroleum hydrocarbon components of the spilled oil. This first biological effect assessment showed that L. boscii is a potentially suitable target species to be used in future biomonitoring programmes along the northern Iberian shelf.     

Review of behaviour of oil in freezing environments

The current knowledge of the physical fate and behaviour of crude oil and petroleum products spilled in Arctic situations is reviewed. The fate and final deposition of oil in marine conditions is presented as based on the extant literature.

Spreading models were evaluated for oil on ice, under ice, in snow, in brash ice, and between blocks of ice. Models of oil transport under sheet and broken ice were considered, both for sea and river conditions. The ability of ice sheets to trap oil is discussed in relation to oil storage capacity. The effects of oil on a growing ice sheet were examined, both in terms of ice formation and the thermal effects of oil inclusions in ice. The migration of oil through ice was reviewed, focussing primarily on the movement through brine channels. The effects of oil on the surface of ice were considered, with emphasis on the effects of surface pools on ice melt. Similar consideration was given to the effects of oil on snow on the surface of ice.

The few quantitative studies of oil in open and dynamic ice conditions are reviewed. Observations of intentional small-scale spills in leads and ice fields are reviewed and compared with observations from real spills. The conditions under which “oil pumping” from leads occurs were quantified. The most common ultimate fate of oil in an ice field is to be released onto the water surface.     

A new technique to estimate initial spill size using a modified fay-type spreading formula

Estimating oil spill size is important for a variety of economic, environmental and legal reasons. One attempt to determine oil spill size by visually assessing the extent of colour regimes in the spill and multiplying the areas of these regimes by thickness values leads to unsatisfactory results. Previous efforts to estimate oil spill size by inverting spreading using formulae like those of Blokker and Fay have also incurred difficulties related to environmental conditions which influence spill spread rate. Data obtained during a series of field experiments, conducted off the Saudi Arabian coastline during the fall of 1982, were used to devise a modification of Fay's spreading formula. The results agree significantly better with the observed areas of the oil spill than Fay's original formula. The modified area formula is then inverted to obtain a formula for initial volume spilled.