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Schreiber L, Hunnie B, Altshuler I, Góngora E, Ellis M, Maynard C, Tremblay J, Wasserscheid J, Fortin N, Lee K, Stern G, Greer CW. Long-term biodegradation of crude oil in high-arctic backshore sediments: The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) after nearly four decades. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 233:116421. [PMID: 37327845 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
With an on-going disproportional warming of the Arctic Ocean and the reduction of the sea ice cover, the risk of an accidental oil spill from ships or future oil exploration is increasing. It is hence important to know how crude oil weathers in this environment and what factors affect oil biodegradation in the Arctic. However, this topic is currently poorly studied. In the 1980s, the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) project carried out a series of simulated oil spills in the backshore zone of beaches located on Baffin Island in the Canadian High Arctic. In this study two BIOS sites were re-visited, offering the unique opportunity to study the long-term weathering of crude oil under Arctic conditions. Here we show that residual oil remains present at these sites even after almost four decades since the original oiling. Oil at both BIOS sites appears to have attenuated very slowly with estimated loss rates of 1.8-2.7% per year. The presence of residual oil continues to significantly affect sediment microbial communities at the sites as manifested by a significantly decreased diversity, differences in the abundance of microorganisms and an enrichment of putative oil-degrading bacteria in oiled sediments. Reconstructed genomes of putative oil degraders suggest that only a subset is specifically adapted for growth under psychrothermic conditions, further reducing the time for biodegradation during the already short Arctic summers. Altogether, this study shows that crude oil spilled in the Arctic can persist and significantly affect the Arctic ecosystem for a long time, in the order of several decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Schreiber
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Blake Hunnie
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Esteban Góngora
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Madison Ellis
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christine Maynard
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Julien Tremblay
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jessica Wasserscheid
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nathalie Fortin
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecosystem Science, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gary Stern
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Hunnie BE, Schreiber L, Greer CW, Stern GA. The long-term fate of saturates and biomarkers within crude oil spilled during the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115276. [PMID: 37459772 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project is a long-term monitoring field study conducted in the early 1980s, seeking to examine the physical and chemical fate of crude oil released into a pristine Arctic setting. During the present study, sites of the BIOS Project were revisited in 2019 for the collection of oiled intertidal and backshore sediments. These samples were analyzed for several groups of petroleum hydrocarbons including saturates (n-alkanes, branched alkanes, and alkylcycloalkanes), hopane and sterane biomarkers, and alkylbenzenes. These hydrocarbon groups were present in concentrations ranging from 1.77-1210, 0.224-51.7, 0.0643-16.9, 0.00-11.7, and 0.0171-8.60 mg/kg within individual samples, respectively. When comparing current to limited results from past BIOS studies, a representative branched alkane (phytane), and medium-chain (nC18) and long-chain (nC30) n-alkanes demonstrate extensive weathering processes, exhibiting up to 90 %, 98 %, and 77 % loss since the penultimate BIOS revisitation in 2001, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake E Hunnie
- University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Rd Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Lars Schreiber
- National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada.
| | - Charles W Greer
- National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; McGill University, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, 21111 Lakeshore Rd Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Gary A Stern
- University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Rd Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
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3
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Hunnie BE, Schreiber L, Greer CW, Stern GA. The recalcitrance and potential toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons within crude oil residues in beach sediments at the BIOS site, nearly forty years later. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 222:115329. [PMID: 36693458 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic is a unique environment characterized by extreme conditions, including daylight patterns, sea ice cover, and some of the lowest temperatures on Earth. Such characteristics in tandem present challenges when extrapolating information from oil spill research within warmer, more temperate regions. Consequently, oil spill studies must be conducted within the Arctic to yield accurate and reliable results. Sites of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) project (Cape Hatt, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic) were revisited nearly 40 years after the original oil application to provide long-term monitoring data for Arctic oil spill research. Surface and subsurface sediment samples were collected from the intertidal zone of the 1981 nearshore oil spill experiment (Bay 11), from 1980 supratidal control plots (Crude Oil Point) and 1982 supratidal treatment plots (Bay 106). Samples were analyzed for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated homologues via Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results suggest that total mean concentrations of all measured PAHs range from 0.049 to 14 mg/kg, whereas total mean concentrations of the 16 US EPA priority PAHs range from 0.02 to 2.1 mg/kg. The relative proportions of individual PAHs were compared between sampling sites and with the original technical mixture. Where available, percent loss of individual PAHs was compared with data from samples collected at the BIOS site, in 2001. All three sites featured samples where concentrations of various priority PAHs exceeded the established Interim Marine Sediment Quality Guidelines. All supratidal samples contained potentially toxic levels of PAHs. Even after nearly four decades of weathering, the recalcitrant crude oil residues remain a potential hazard for the native organisms. Continued monitoring of this unique study site is crucial for establishing a timeline for oil degradation, and to observe a reduction in toxicity over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake E Hunnie
- University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Rd, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Lars Schreiber
- National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada.
| | - Charles W Greer
- National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; McGill University, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, 21111 Lakeshore Rd Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Gary A Stern
- University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Rd, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
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Stern GA, Macdonald CR, Carvalho PC, Wolfe T, Ferraz F. Baseline levels and characterization of hydrocarbons in surface marine sediments along the transportation corridor in Hudson Bay: A multivariate analysis of n-alkanes, PAHs and biomarkers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 855:158718. [PMID: 36113804 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Hudson Bay is a small arctic inland shelf sea which receives large amounts of freshwater from riverine discharges, with marine flow from the north and the Atlantic. A warming climate has resulted in an expanded open water season which will result in an increase in shipping of fuel oil and petroleum to communities and mines on the western shore, increasing the risk of hydrocarbon releases. To evaluate the status of hydrocarbons, surface sediments were collected at 34 locations in the transportation route and offshore and analysed for several types of hydrocarbons. Total hydrocarbons varied by over 25 times between sites, reaching a maximum of 1116 μg/g OC (organic carbon basis) in Hudson Strait due to low molecular weight n-alkanes from marine primary production. The gross mean for all sites was 344 μg/g OC (GSD = 173-682), roughly equivalent to other remote sites in the Canadian Arctic with no known local hydrocarbon source. n-alkanes accounted for >90 % of residues. Diagnostic ratios (e.g., Carbon Preference Index (CPI), Odd-Even Predominance (OEP)) indicated mixed sources of n-alkanes, likely due to the input from vascular plants and ombrotrophic peat in northern and western watersheds, and primary production within the Bay. The elevated proportion of high molecular weight n-alkanes at deep water sites is consistent with lotic particulate organic matter deposited in the nearshore environment and redeposited offshore. Ʃ36PAHs were a small fraction (1.9 %) of hydrocarbons, with a gross mean of 5.68 μg/g OC (GSD = 3.30-9.79). PCA separated deep water sediments from nearshore and community samples due to 4 alkylated naphthalenes which usually indicate a petrogenic source but probably indicates a natural source due to the lack of other petrogenic markers. Priority PAHs (i.e., Ʃ16PAH) varied from 31.5 % to 56.6 % of the Ʃ36PAH residues. The concentrations of individual PAHs were well below the Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines recommended by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary A Stern
- Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
| | | | | | - Teresinha Wolfe
- Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Fernanda Ferraz
- Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Aeppli C. Recent advance in understanding photooxidation of hydrocarbons after oil spills. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2021.100763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Desmond DS, Saltymakova D, Crabeck O, Schreckenbach G, Xidos JD, Barber DG, Isleifson D, Stern GA. Methods for Interpreting the Partitioning and Fate of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in a Sea Ice Environment. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:772-786. [PMID: 35080411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c08357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Decreases in Arctic Sea ice extent and thickness have led to more open ice conditions, encouraging both shipping traffic and oil exploration within the northern Arctic. As a result, the increased potential for accidental releases of crude oil or fuel into the Arctic environment threatens the pristine marine environment, its ecosystem, and local inhabitants. Thus, there is a need to develop a better understanding of oil behavior in a sea ice environment on a microscopic level. Computational quantum chemistry was used to simulate the effects of evaporation, dissolution, and partitioning within sea ice. Vapor pressures, solubilities, octanol-water partition coefficients, and molecular volumes were calculated using quantum chemistry and thermodynamics for pure liquid solutes (oil constituents) of interest. These calculations incorporated experimentally measured temperatures and salinities taken throughout an oil-in-ice mesocosm experiment conducted at the University of Manitoba in 2017. Their potential for interpreting the relative movements of oil constituents was assessed. Our results suggest that the relative movement of oil constituents is influenced by differences in physical properties. Lighter molecules showed a greater tendency to be controlled by brine advection processes due to their greater solubility. Molecules which are more hydrophobic were found to concentrate in areas of lower salt concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Odile Crabeck
- Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles 99131, Belgium.,Unité d'Océanographie Chimique, Freshwater and Oceanic sCience Unit reSearch (FOCUS), Université de Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | | | - James D Xidos
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - David G Barber
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | | | - Gary A Stern
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
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DeMiguel-Jiménez L, Etxebarria N, Reinardy HC, Lekube X, Marigómez I, Izagirre U. Toxicity to sea urchin embryos of crude and bunker oils weathered under ice alone and mixed with dispersant. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 175:113345. [PMID: 35151077 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A multi-index approach (larval lenghthening and malformations, developmental disruption, and genotoxicity) was applied using sea-urchin embryos as test-organisms. PAH levels measured in the under-ice weathered aqueous fraction (UIWAF) were lower than in the low-energy water accommodated fraction (LEWAF) and similar amongst UIWAFs of different oils. UIWAFs and LEWAFs caused toxic effects, more markedly in UIWAFs, that could not be attributed to measured individual PAHs or to their mixture. Conversely, UIWAF was less genotoxic than LEWAF, most likely because naphthalene concentrations were also lower. In agreement, NAN LEWAF, the most genotoxic, exhibited the highest naphthalene levels. Dispersant addition produced less consistent changes in PAH levels and embryo toxicity in UIWAFs than in LEWAFs, and did not modify LEWAF genotoxicity. Overall, under ice weathering resulted in lowered waterborne PAHs and genotoxicity but augmented embryo toxicity, not modified by dispersant application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura DeMiguel-Jiménez
- BCTA Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Sarriena auzoa z/g, E-48940 Leioa-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain; Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza z/g, E-48620 Plentzia-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Nestor Etxebarria
- IBeA Research Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Sarriena auzoa z/g, E-48940 Leioa-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain; Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza z/g, E-48620 Plentzia-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Helena C Reinardy
- Aquaculture Science Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, Scotland, United Kingdom; Department of Arctic Technology, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), PO Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
| | - Xabier Lekube
- BCTA Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Sarriena auzoa z/g, E-48940 Leioa-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain; Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza z/g, E-48620 Plentzia-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Ionan Marigómez
- BCTA Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Sarriena auzoa z/g, E-48940 Leioa-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain; Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza z/g, E-48620 Plentzia-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Urtzi Izagirre
- BCTA Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Sarriena auzoa z/g, E-48940 Leioa-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain; Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza z/g, E-48620 Plentzia-Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
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8
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Ellis M, Altshuler I, Schreiber L, Chen YJ, Okshevsky M, Lee K, Greer CW, Whyte LG. Hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of microbial communities from high Arctic beaches in Canada's Northwest Passage. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 174:113288. [PMID: 35090274 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sea ice loss is opening shipping routes in Canada's Northwest Passage, increasing the risk of an oil spill. Harnessing the capabilities of endemic microorganisms to degrade oil may be an effective remediation strategy for contaminated shorelines; however, limited data exists along Canada's Northwest Passage. In this study, hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of microbial communities from eight high Arctic beaches was assessed. Across high Arctic beaches, community composition was distinct, potential hydrocarbon-degrading genera were detected and microbial communities were able to degrade hydrocarbons (hexadecane, naphthalene, and alkanes) at low temperature (4 °C). Hexadecane and naphthalene biodegradation were stimulated by nutrients, but nutrients had little effect on Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel Oil biodegradation. Oiled microcosms showed a significant enrichment of Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus. Nutrient-amended microcosms showed increased abundances of key hydrocarbon biodegradation genes (alkB and CYP153). Ultimately, this work provides insight into hydrocarbon biodegradation on Arctic shorelines and oil-spill remediation in Canada's Northwest Passage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Ellis
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences NMBU, Ås, Norway
| | - Lars Schreiber
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ya-Jou Chen
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mira Okshevsky
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Department of Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Ecosystem Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
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Desmond DS, Crabeck O, Lemes M, Harasyn ML, Mansoori A, Saltymakova D, Fuller MC, Rysgaard S, Barber DG, Isleifson D, Stern GA. Investigation into the geometry and distribution of oil inclusions in sea ice using non-destructive X-ray microtomography and its implications for remote sensing and mitigation potential. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:112996. [PMID: 34627034 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As climate change brings reduced sea ice cover and longer ice-free summers to the Arctic, northern Canada is experiencing an increase in shipping and industrial activity in this sensitive region. Disappearing sea ice, therefore, makes the Arctic region susceptible to accidental releases of different types of oil and fuel pollution resulting in a pressing need for the development of appropriate scientific knowledge necessary to inform regulatory policy formulation. In this study, we examine the microstructure of the surficial layers of sea ice exposed to oil using X-ray microtomography. Through analysis, 3D imaging of the spatial distribution of the ice's components (brine, air, and oil) were made. Additional quantitative information regarding the size, proximity, orientation, and geometry of oil inclusions were computed to ascertain discernable relationships between oil and the other components of the ice. Our results indicate implications for airborne remote sensing and bioremediation of the upper sea ice layers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Odile Crabeck
- University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium; Unité d'Océanographie Chimique, Freshwater and Oceanic sCience Unit reSearch (FOCUS), Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | - M Christopher Fuller
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Søren Rysgaard
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Desmond DS, Saltymakova D, Smith A, Wolfe T, Snyder N, Polcwiartek K, Bautista M, Lemes M, Hubert CRJ, Barber DG, Isleifson D, Stern GA. Photooxidation and biodegradation potential of a light crude oil in first-year sea ice. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 165:112154. [PMID: 33735684 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Disappearing sea ice in the Arctic region results in a pressing need to develop oil spill mitigation techniques suitable for ice-covered waters. The uncertainty around the nature of an oil spill in the Arctic arises from the ice-covered waters and sub-zero temperatures, and how they may influence natural attenuation efficiency. The Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility was used to create a simulated Arctic marine setting. This paper focuses on the potential for biodegradation of the bulk crude oil content (encapsulated in the upper regions of the ice), to provide insight regarding the possible fate of crude oil in an Arctic marine setting. Cheaper and faster methods of chemical composition analysis were applied to the samples to assess for weathering and transformation effects. Results suggest that brine volume in ice may not be sufficient at low temperatures to encompass biodegradation and that seawater is more suitable for biodegradation.
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