Long-term sublethal and short-term high dose effects of physically and chemically dispersed oil on accumulation and clearance from various tissues of juvenile coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch

The toxicity of crude oil and the dispersant BP1100X was tested in sea water and in each case was much less than the toxicity to fish in fresh water. Uptake of oil from water, with or without dispersant, was similar after a short exposure to 200 ppm. The oil was cleared from the fish in three weeks. A long-term exposure to oil or oil plus dispersant at a concentration of 5 ppm showed a slow accumulation but significantly above exposure levels. Thus, salmon exposed to oil in sea water can take up the hydrocarbons but appear to cleanse themselves rapidly.     

Differences in the toxicities of an oil dispersant and a surface active agent to some marine animals,and their implications in the choice of species in toxicity testing

The toxicities of an oil dispersant (BP 1100X) and a surface active agent (Shell Herder) upon 18 marine species from different taxa, were investigated. The results showed that the toxicity of a product depends very much on the species tested. Some species exhibited high mortality when treated with BP 1100X, and low mortality when treated with Shell Herder, whereas the reverse was true for certain other species. The results therefore indicated a large bias potentially incurred in present procedures, by the use of one or two species in toxicity testing and screening of oil dispersants/surface active agents. It is here suggested that toxicity tests should be carried out on species which are ecologically important (e.g. ‘key species’ of a community or population with a high energy flow value) in identified receiving environments, rather than on those which are easy to obtain and maintain in the laboratory.     

Behavioural Effects of Chemically Dispersed Oil and Subsequent Recovery in Diploria strigosa (Dana)

Abstract. Survival and behaviour of the hermatypic coral Diploria strigosa was studied during 6–24 h doses with water-accomodated fractions of chemically dispersed crude oil, and for a subsequent recovery period of 1 month. Experiments utilized a flow-through laboratory dosing procedure and incorporated petroleum hydrocarbon measurements in order to simulate a major but short-term oil spill in shallow subtidal benthic reef environments. Chemically dispersed oil treatments consisted of Arabian Light Crude oil with Corexit 9527 or BP1100WD at 1–20 ppm concentrations of oil.
In general, effects observed were sub-lethal, temporary, and associated with the highest concentrations tested. Responses to the presence of dispersed oil at 20ppm for 24 h included mesenterial filament extrusion, extreme tissue contraction, tentacle retraction and localized tissue rupture. The nature and severity of reactions during the dosing phase varied between colonies and treatments, but colonies typically resumed normal behaviour within 2 h to 4 d of the recovery period. It therefore seems unlikely that observed biological effects would impair long-term viability.     

Lethal and sublethal effects of short term acute doses of Kuwait Crude Oil and a dispersant Corexit 9527 on bay scallops, Argopecten irradians (Lamarck) and two predators at different temperatures

Investigations of short term acute exposure of bay scallops, Argopecten irradians and two scallop predators, the oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea and the common starfish Asterias forbesi, to oil, dispersant, and oil-dispersant mixtures (Kuwait Crude Oil and Corexit 9527) suggested that predator and prey have different lethal susceptibilities. Scallops were most sensitive to dispersant and dispersant mixed with oil, starfish were only sensitive to dispersant while the oyster drill seemed unaffected even though all were exposed to dilutions of identically prepared stock solutions. Scallops were least susceptible during winter months and most susceptible at summer temperatures. Treatment had less effect on predators than on scallops at summer temperatures. Sublethal concentrations of dispersant and oil-dispersant mixtures diminished the behavioural ability of scallops to recognise drills and starfish. The degree of effect increased with temperature. Predator detection of prey at the same concentrations was more complex. The feeding response or posturing reflex of starfish was significantly slowed by all treatments. In contrast, drills were unaffected in their recognition of scallop effluent in a choice chamber after treatment.     

Effects of oil and a dispersant on intertidal organisms in field experiments with a Mesocosm,the Bremerhaven Caisson

Three medium-scale field experiments on the effects of oil, a dispersant and an oil/dispersant mixture were carried out in an intertidal mud flat ecosystem of the Wadden Sea (German Bight). For six successive tides each contaminant was added to the water enclosed in a mesocosm during submersion of the flat. The fate of the oil in the sediment and effects on phytobenthos, bacteria and macrozoobenthos were studied. Penetration of the oil into the sediment was mainly observed at the surface layer. were present when oil was chemically dispersed. Sublethal effects were found in some macrofauna species (reduced feeding activity) and in phytobenthic organisms (increased activity); oil degrading bacteria increased. No major effects were observed when the dispersant alone was added.     

横流环境中水下溢油输移扩散的实验研究

文章基于自制的组合式环形水槽（周长9.7 m、宽0.45 m、深1.0 m）,分别以阿曼原油及其消油剂混合物和淡水（含示踪剂）为模拟污染物,开展水下溢油的物理模拟实验,以浮射流输移轨迹、污染物扩散范围和油滴粒径分布为考察指标,研究横流环境和消油剂的使用对水下溢油输移扩散的影响。实验结果表明:在横流环境中,浮射流输移轨迹开始弯曲的高度随着流速的增加而降低;与淡水浮射流主要在水中输移扩散的情况不同,当污染物为原油时,大粒径油滴脱离浮射流主体并上浮至水面,导致扩散范围更大;消油剂的添加会使原油浮射流内部油滴的体积中值粒径变小,油滴粒径分布曲线向小尺寸方向偏移。实验结果可为后续的物理模拟实验和数值模拟研究提供参考。     

Effects of crude oil on the supralittoral meiofauna of a sandy beach

The supralittoral zone of an open sandy beach was dosed with crude oil and changes in the meiofauna monitored. Treatments included weathered and fresh oil on the surface, fresh oil mixed with dispersant on the surface and weathered oil at the water table, all in layers 0·8 cm thick. In all cases the meiofauna was reduced 1 month after dosing but numbers had returned to normal by 5 months except in the site dosed with fresh oil mixed with dispersant. Oil on the surface had greater effects than oil at the water table; fresh oil had a greater effect than weathered oil and fresh oil with dispersant was more toxic than fresh oil alone. Nematodes were least sensitive to the oil and oligochaetes more sensitive, their numbers being correlated with oil concentrations and depth in the substrate. It is concluded that, under all but the heaviest conditions of pollution in their environment, recovery from oil contamination should occur within 5 months in the meiofauna.     

Effects of MV Rena heavy fuel oil and dispersed oil on yellowtail kingfish early life stages

ABSTRACT

The grounding of the MV Rena has highlighted the lack of information concerning the effects of oil-related compounds on New Zealand marine life. Yellowtail kingfish (YTK), Seriola lalandi, embryos were exposed in static incubations to the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of Rena heavy fuel oil as well as a similar preparation treated with the commercial dispersant Corexit 9500. Mortality in WAF treatments generally increased in association with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (tPAH) concentration over a 24-h period. Physical abnormalities were observed in some of the larvae exposed to WAF for 48 h. There was no survival in dispersed oil treatments after 24 h of exposure. These treatments had greater tPAH concentrations (2–53?µgL^?1) than equivalent WAF dilutions (0.2–1.5?µgL^?1?tPAH). Indications are that significant morbidity is induced in YTK at ecologically relevant tPAH concentrations. This highlights the need for further research into oil and dispersant toxicity in New Zealand marine species.     

海上油气开发水下井喷溢油的化学分散技术研究

为有效应对海上油气开发水下井喷溢油事故,降低海底溢油对海洋环境的危害,文章通过模拟试验研究消油剂的类型、使用量和喷注位置对溢油分散效果的影响,并提出深水水下消油剂使用技术体系。研究结果表明：GM-2消油剂对原油呈现良好的分散性能,且分散效果随剂油比的增大而增强;水下喷注消油剂的使用量为溢油量的10%时即可获得良好的分散效果;在一定范围内,消油剂喷口与水下井口的水平距离对溢油分散效果的影响极小,而垂直高度对溢油分散效果的影响较大。     

Hydrodynamics of oil jets without and with dispersant: Experimental and numerical characterization

In this paper, we present the analysis of an underwater horizontal oil jet experimental measurement and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations. Two oil subsurface releases were conducted: one with crude oil and another with crude oil premixed with dispersant at the dispersant to oil ratio (DOR) of 1:20. The jet profile was captured by a camera at moderate resolution, and the instantaneous velocity was measured by a Vectrino Profiler. The velocity components, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate from the experiment agreed well with those from the CFD simulation using the k-epsilon turbulence model. The spread angle of the jet was found to be around 21° and 24° from the experiment measurement, for oil without dispersant and oil with dispersant, respectively. The latter is close to the angle of miscible jets at 23°. The jet profile of oil with dispersant had a smaller buoyancy than that without dispersant, which is probably due to the large water entrainment for the oil with dispersant jet. The cross sections of the jet for both cases gradually became flattened with distance, as the plume turned upward.     

Effect of oil and dispersants on the growth of Mussels

Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) were exposed to North Sea crude oil, microencapsulated oil and dispersants, singly and in combination, and growth rates measured at 24–48 h intervals.Exposure to microencapsulated pure oil (2·0–2·1 mg litre⁻¹) and to microencapsulated mixtures of oil (2·2−2·5 mg litre^-1+5 % of the different dispersants (FINASOL OSR 5, COREXIT 9527, DISPOLENE 36 S) gave approximately the same reduction in growth rate (80–90%) within 170h.Oil chemically dispersed with DISPOLENE 36 S and a pure oil mechanically dispersed in water were significantly less toxic. In high concentrations (2 mg litre⁻¹) all disperants are toxic, DISPOLENE 36 S ssignificantly more than the others.Mussels exposed for 170 h to microencapsulated oil and to microencapsulated oil dispersant mixtures recovered to control growth within 300 h in clean seawater, while in those given pure oil-in-water suspension, the recovery was slower.It is concluded that the toxicity of oil is mainly related to size and concentration of oil particles, while the effect of 5% dispersants added is negligible.     

南海深水井喷溢油输移扩散的数值模拟研究

文章以假设发生在南海北部深水油气勘探开发海域的1 279 m深水井喷溢油事故为例,采用深海溢油输移扩散模型,以2020年冬季(1月)和夏季(7月)三维流场和海面风场为主要环境动力,数值模拟研究未实施和实施海底消油剂处理情景下的溢油在海洋环境中的输移扩散全过程。模拟结果显示：不同深度的海流对溢油输移轨迹有着显著的影响;深水环境中,流速较小,井喷形成的浮射流能够向上输移较长距离;随着水深变浅,流速增强,流向多变,水中不同粒径的油滴以摇摆或螺旋轨迹向上浮升;在表层海流和冬季或夏季盛行风的共同作用下,海面油膜主要往下风向方向漂移扩散;实施海底消油剂处理措施后,水中油滴扩散范围较未处理时的更大,其中微小粒径油滴将在深水环境中长时间悬浮输移。结果可为今后南海深海溢油输移扩散规律的深入研究提供参考。     

A hazard assessment of chemically dispersed oil spills and seabirds

The effects of dispersants on both the exposure to and toxicity of oil to seabirds are considered in order to assess the hazard. Ideally the dispersant mixes with oil and disperses it into the water column. This process is rapid but generally incomplete. The toxicology of one dispersant (Corexit 9527), for which data are available, shows that the toxicity of oil-Corexit mixtures is similar to that of oil alone. The effect of two feeding regimes, pursuit diving and surface diving, is considered. Calculations indicate that the amount of oil that is likely to be taken up by the bird while moving through the water column is small. It is concluded that there is little evidence of synergistic effects between oil and dispersant. The major oiling of birds occurs at the surface and thus dispersants must be highly effective to reduce the exposure of birds to oil.     

Effects of a crude oil and an oil dispersant (Corexit 9527) on populations of the littleneck clam (protothaca staminea)

Field and laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of Alberta crude oil and an oil dispersant (Corexit 9527) on the larval settlement, survival, siphon activities and behaviour of the littleneck clam (Protothaca staminea). Corexit 9527 was much more toxic than crude oil, and the highest toxicity was obtained when Corexit 9527 was mixed with crude oil. Siphon activities were impaired and abnormal behaviour was exhibited when adult clams were treated with 100 ppm Corexit 9527, 1000 ppm crude oil or a combination of both. Larval settlement was not affected when the substratum was treated with 1000ppm crude oil but was retarded when the substratum was treated with a mixture of 1000 ppm oil and 100 ppm Corexit 9527. Gas chromatograms also showed that the retention time and depth of penetration of hydrocarbons in the substratum was increased when Corexit 9527 was used with crude oil.     

Structure and oil and gas perspectives of the Californian borderland

The Californian borderland is the largest oil and gas region of the Pacific coast of the United States. Here, a series of large and minor sedimentary basins with established or inferred oil and gas bearing properties are recognized. The Californian borderland is located on a Nevadan-type active continental margin. The bodies of such margins are composed of giant accretion formations and occupy not only their underwater parts but also vast land areas. The accretion formations are dominated by rocks of a deep-water origin. The Californian borderland represents a system of basins and ranges that compose the underwater margin and the Coastal Ranges of California and the basement within the Great Valley. In the depressions of the accretion orogen, which are small in size but feature high subsidence rates, significant thicknesses of deposits are accumulated (up to 6?8 km). In the depressions of the Californian borderland, they are represented by young Neogene (rarer Eocene-Oligocene) formations of mainly terrigenous or siliceous-terrigenous compositions. The active tectonic regime resulted in a sharp reduction of the age range of the oil and gas bearing deposits, which are represented only by Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic rocks. Full-scale oil and gas production here is performed in the Santa Barbara-Ventura and Santa Maria basins. The principal oil and gas bearing unit is the Monterrey Formation of the Middle Miocene. By January 2006, the production on the Californian borderland comprised about 17.8 million tons of oil and over 1 billion m³ of gas. Up to 1.4 billion tons of oil and 200 billion m³ of gas reserves are regarded to be not recovered on the Pacific coast of the United States in the region of the Californian borderland.     

The effects of bunker c oil and an oil dispersant: Part 2—effects on the accumulation of chlorine-labelled bunker c oil in various fish tissues

Chlorine-labelled Bunker C oil was used to measure the differential accumulation in various fish tissues between a hydrocarbon and a hydrocarbon/oil dispersant mixture. There is an increased movement of the emulsified oil across the gill structure although accumulation by this tissue is similar for both test conditions. The liver and kidney showed significantly higher levels of the oil/dispersant mixture whereas muscle accumulations were less dramatic. The amounts of Bunker C found in the gills, liver and kidney were considerably higher than that found in the muscle. Consideration was given to the varying capability of the blood to carry polar, compared with non-polar, compounds.     

Pleistocene glacial history of the NW European continental margin

In this paper new and previously published data on the Pleistocene glacial impact on the NW European margin from Ireland to Svalbard (between c. 48°N–80°N) are compiled. The morphology of the glaciated part of the European margin strongly reflects repeated occurrence of fast-moving ice streams, creating numerous glacial troughs/channels that are separated by shallow bank areas. End-moraines have been identified at several locations on the shelf, suggesting shelf-edge glaciation along the major part of the margin during the Last Glacial Maximum. Deposition of stacked units of glacigenic debris flows on the continental slope form fans at a number of locations from 55°N and northwards, whereas the margin to the south of this is characterised by the presence of submarine canyons. Glaciation curves, based primarily on information from the glacial fed fan systems, that depict the Pleistocene trends in extent of glaciations along the margin have been compiled. These curves suggest that extensive shelf glaciations started around Svalbard at 1.6–1.3 Ma, while repeated periods of shelf-edge glaciations on the UK margin started with MIS 12 (c. 0.45 Ma). The available evidence for MIS 2 suggest that shelf-edge glaciation for the whole margin was reached between c. 28 and 22 ¹⁴C ka BP and maximum positions after this were more limited in some regions (North Sea and Lofoten). The last glacial advance on the margin has been dated to 15–13.5 ¹⁴C ka BP, and by c. 13 ¹⁴C ka BP the shelf areas were completely deglaciated. The Younger Dryas (Loch Lomond) advance reached the coastal areas in only a few regions.     

静水和动水环境中水下溢油浮射流初步实验及数值模拟

为深入研究井喷和管道破损等海底事故后溢油在水下环境中的输移扩散过程,文章利用自制的组合式环形水槽（周长9.7 m、宽0.45 m、深1 m）,以阿曼原油与消油剂混合物和淡水（含示踪剂）为模拟污染物,初步开展静水和动水环境中海底溢油浮射流的物理模拟实验,并应用基于拉格朗日积分方法的水下溢油浮射流模型进行数值模拟比较分析。研究结果表明:静水环境中,水下溢油浮射流主要沿喷口的垂直中心线向水面输移扩散;非均匀流动水环境中,横流速度越大,浮射流输移轨迹的弯曲程度越明显;数值模拟的浮射流轨迹总体上与实验观测结果符合较好;研究结果可为今后相关物理实验和数值模型的改进研究提供有益参考。     

The structural features and petroleum resource potential of basins in the western and northwestern Australian margins

The oil and gas basins of Australia are confined to its western and northwestern margins. They are typical pericontinental depressions in the continent-ocean transition zone with a passive tectonic regime. The following oil and gas basins are definable from the south to northward: the Perth, Carnarvon, Canning, Browse, and Bonaparte. All these basins are well studied. Among them, the Carnarvon basin is the most productive. Despite the discovery of approximately a hundred oil and gas fields in this basin, its continental slopes are still insufficiently known. In this connection, the morphostructural features of the productive areas were analyzed using a specialized GIS technique. The performed analysis of the Carnarvon hydrocarbon-bearing basin demonstrated the efficiency of this technique and allowed several promising zones located west, north, and south of the discovered oil and gas fields and forming a single trend with them to be outlined. The total reserves of the country are as high as 2.1 × 10⁹ t of oil and 840 × 10⁹ m³ of gas. The annual oil production in Australia by January 1, 2008 was 22.25 × 10⁶ t of oil and 14 × 10⁹ m³ of gas. Approximately 95% of the oil and 80% of the gas produced in Australia by the beginning of 2008 were obtained from offshore parts of its basins.