Fate and effects of oil pollutants in extremely cold marine environments. Annual report No. 5, 1 January--31 December 1977

Technical Report · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:6935717

Atlas, R M

Petroleum degradation was studied using Prudhoe Bay crude oil incubated in situ in several Arctic ecosystems. Studies were conducted in water, ice and sediment ecosystems. No biodegradation of oil was found when oil was allowed to freeze into the ice matrix. When oil was spilled under ice evaporative losses were greatly restricted and biodegradation rates were very low. In sediment, biodegradative changes in the oil were found within a few days of spillage. When sediment was contaminated with oil there was extensive mortality of invertebrates. Recolonization of contaminated sediment occurred rapidly but recolonization was by different benthic invertebrate species than recolonized uncontaminated sediment.

• Research Organization: Louisville Univ., Ky. (USA). Dept. of Biology
• OSTI ID: 6935717
• Report Number(s): AD-A-048334
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900 -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
ARCTIC REGIONS
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FOSSIL FUELS
FREEZING
FUELS
ICE
MASS TRANSFER
PETROLEUM
POLAR REGIONS
POLLUTION
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION