Decomposition of sediment-oil-agglomerates in a Gulf of Mexico sandy beach.

ABSTRACT: Sediment-oil-agglomerates (SOA) are one of the most common forms of contamination impacting shores after a major oil spill; and following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) accident, large numbers of SOAs were buried in the sandy beaches of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. SOAs provide a source of toxic oil compounds, and although SOAs can persist for many years, their long-term fate was unknown. Here we report the results of a 3-year in-situ experiment that quantified the degradation of standardized SOAs buried in the upper 50 cm of a North Florida sandy beach. Time series of hydrocarbon mass, carbon content, n-alkanes, PAHs, and fluorescence indicate that the decomposition of golf-ball-size DWH-SOAs embedded in beach sand takes at least 32 years, while SOA degradation without sediment contact w

SUBMITTER: Bociu I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6624294 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature