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Rogers KL, Bosman SH, Wildermann N, Rosenheim BE, Montoya JP, Hollander D, Zhao T, Chanton JP. Mapping spatial and temporal variation of seafloor organic matter Δ 14C and δ 13C in the Northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112076. [PMID: 33529879 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112076] [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: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, large amounts of biodegraded oil (petrocarbon) sank to the seafloor. Our objectives were to 1) determine post-spill isotopic values as the sediments approached a new baseline and 2) track the recovery of affected sediments. Sediment organic carbon δ13C and Δ14C reached a post-spill baseline averaging -21.2 ± 0.9‰ (n = 129) and -220 ± 66‰ (n = 95). Spatial variations in seafloor organic carbon baseline isotopic values, 13C and 14C, were influenced by river discharge and hydrocarbon seepage, respectively. Inverse Distance Weighting of surface sediment Δ14C values away from seep sites showed a 50% decrease in the total mass of petrocarbon, from 2010 to 2014. We estimated a rate of loss of -2 × 109 g of petrocarbon-C/year, 2-11% of the degradation rates in surface slicks. Despite the observed recovery in sediments, lingering residual material in the surface sediments was evident seven years following the blowout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L Rogers
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, 1011 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350, United States.
| | - Samantha H Bosman
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, 1011 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350, United States
| | - Natalie Wildermann
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, 1011 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350, United States
| | - Brad E Rosenheim
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
| | - Joseph P Montoya
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 310 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States
| | - David Hollander
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
| | - Tingting Zhao
- Department of Geography, Florida State University, 113 Collegiate Loop, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2190, United States
| | - Jeffrey P Chanton
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, 1011 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350, United States.
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Bosman SH, Schwing PT, Larson RA, Wildermann NE, Brooks GR, Romero IC, Sanchez-Cabeza JA, Ruiz-Fernández AC, Machain-Castillo ML, Gracia A, Escobar-Briones E, Murawski SA, Hollander DJ, Chanton JP. The southern Gulf of Mexico: A baseline radiocarbon isoscape of surface sediments and isotopic excursions at depth. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231678. [PMID: 32294128 PMCID: PMC7159241 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The southern Gulf of Mexico (sGoM) is home to an extensive oil recovery and development infrastructure. In addition, the basin harbors sites of submarine hydrocarbon seepage and receives terrestrial inputs from bordering rivers. We used stable carbon, nitrogen, and radiocarbon analyses of bulk sediment organic matter to define the current baseline isoscapes of surface sediments in the sGoM and determined which factors might influence them. These baseline surface isoscapes will be useful for accessing future environmental impacts. We also examined the region for influence of hydrocarbon deposition in the sedimentary record that might be associated with hydrocarbon recovery, spillage and seepage, as was found in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in 2010. In 1979, the sGoM experienced a major oil spill, Ixtoc 1. Surface sediment δ13C values ranged from -22.4‰ to -19.9‰, while Δ14C values ranged from -337.1‰ to -69.2‰. Sediment δ15N values ranged from 2.8‰ to 7.2‰, while the %C on a carbonate-free basis ranged in value of 0.65% to 3.89% and %N ranged in value of 0.09% to 0.49%. Spatial trends for δ13C and Δ14C were driven by water depth and distance from the coastline, while spatial trends for δ15N were driven by location (latitude and longitude). Location and distance from the coastline were significantly correlated with %C and %N. At depth in two of twenty (10%) core profiles, we found negative δ13C and Δ14C excursions from baseline values in bulk sedimentary organic material, consistent with either oil-residue deposition or terrestrial inputs, but likely the latter. We then used 210Pb dating on those two profiles to determine the time in which the excursion-containing horizons were deposited. Despite the large spill in 1979, no evidence of hydrocarbon residue remained in the sediments from this specific time period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha H. Bosman
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SHB); (JPC)
| | - Patrick T. Schwing
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
- Eckerd College, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
| | | | - Natalie E. Wildermann
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
| | - Gregg R. Brooks
- Eckerd College, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
| | - Isabel C. Romero
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
| | - Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Adolfo Gracia
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Elva Escobar-Briones
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Steven A. Murawski
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
| | - David J. Hollander
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey P. Chanton
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SHB); (JPC)
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Rogers KL, Bosman SH, Lardie-Gaylord M, McNichol A, Rosenheim BE, Montoya JP, Chanton JP. Petrocarbon evolution: Ramped pyrolysis/oxidation and isotopic studies of contaminated oil sediments from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212433. [PMID: 30818376 PMCID: PMC6396836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrocarbons released during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill weathered due to exposure to oxygen, light, and microbes. During weathering, the hydrocarbons' reactivity and lability was altered, but it remained identifiable as "petrocarbon" due to its retention of the distinctive isotope signatures (14C and 13C) of petroleum. Relative to the initial estimates of the quantity of oil-residue deposited in Gulf sediments based on 2010-2011 data, the overall coverage and quantity of the fossil carbon on the seafloor has been attenuated. To analyze recovery of oil contaminated deep-sea sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico we tracked the carbon isotopic composition (13C and 14C, radiocarbon) of bulk sedimentary organic carbon through time at 4 sites. Using ramped pyrolysis/oxidation, we determined the thermochemical stability of sediment organic matter at 5 sites, two of these in time series. There were clear differences between crude oil (which decomposed at a lower temperature during ramped oxidation), natural hydrocarbon seep sediment (decomposing at a higher temperature; Δ14C = -912‰) and our control site (decomposing at a moderate temperature; Δ14C = -189‰), in both the stability (ability to withstand ramped temperatures in oxic conditions) and carbon isotope signatures. We observed recovery toward our control site bulk Δ14C composition at sites further from the wellhead in ~4 years, whereas sites in closer proximity had longer recovery times. The thermographs also indicated temporal changes in the composition of contaminated sediment, with shifts towards higher temperature CO2 evolution over time at a site near the wellhead, and loss of higher temperature CO2 peaks at a more distant site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L. Rogers
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Samantha H. Bosman
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
| | - Mary Lardie-Gaylord
- NOSAMS, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
United States of America
| | - Ann McNichol
- NOSAMS, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
United States of America
| | - Brad E. Rosenheim
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg,
Florida, United States of America
| | - Joseph P. Montoya
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta,
Florida, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey P. Chanton
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
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Adhikari PL, Maiti K, Overton EB, Rosenheim BE, Marx BD. Distributions and accumulation rates of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the northern Gulf of Mexico sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 212:413-423. [PMID: 26895564 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sediment samples collected from shelf, slope and interior basin of the northern Gulf of Mexico during 2011-2013, 1-3 years after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, were utilized to characterize PAH pollution history, in this region. Results indicate that the concentrations of surface ΣPAH43 and their accumulation rates vary between 44 and 160 ng g(-1) and 6-55 ng cm(-2) y(-1), respectively. ΣPAH43 concentration profiles, accumulation rates and Δ(14)C values are significantly altered only for the sediments in the immediate vicinity of the DWH wellhead. This shows that the impact of DWH oil input on deep-sea sediments was generally limited to the area close to the spill site. Further, the PAHs source diagnostic analyses suggest a noticeable change in PAHs composition from higher to lower molecular weight dominance which reflects a change in source of PAHs in the past three years, back to the background composition. Results indicate low to moderate levels of PAH pollution in this region at present, which are unlikely to cause adverse effects on benthic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puspa L Adhikari
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States; Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
| | - Kanchan Maiti
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States
| | - Edward B Overton
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States
| | - Brad E Rosenheim
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
| | - Brian D Marx
- Department of Experimental Statistics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States
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Chanton J, Zhao T, Rosenheim BE, Joye S, Bosman S, Brunner C, Yeager KM, Diercks AR, Hollander D. Using natural abundance radiocarbon to trace the flux of petrocarbon to the seafloor following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2015; 49:847-54. [PMID: 25494527 DOI: 10.1021/es5046524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon accident released 4.6–6.0 × 10(11) grams or 4.1 to 4.6 million barrels of fossil petroleum derived carbon (petrocarbon) as oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Natural abundance radiocarbon measurements on surface sediment organic matter in a 2.4 × 10(10) m(2) deep-water region surrounding the spill site indicate the deposition of a fossil-carbon containing layer that included 1.6 to 2.6 × 10(10) grams of oil-derived carbon. This quantity represents between 0.5 to 9.1% of the released petrocarbon, with a best estimate of 3.0–4.9%. These values may be lower limit estimates of the fraction of the oil that was deposited on the seafloor because they focus on a limited mostly deep-water area of the Gulf, include a conservative estimate of thickness of the depositional layer, and use an average background or prespill radiocarbon value for sedimentary organic carbon that produces a conservative value. A similar approach using hopane tracer estimated that 4–31% of 2 million barrels of oil that stayed in the deep sea settled on the bottom. Converting that to a percentage of the total oil that entered into the environment (to which we normalized our estimate) converts this range to 1.8 to 14.4%. Although extrapolated over a larger area, our independent estimate produced similar values.
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Pendergraft MA, Rosenheim BE. Varying relative degradation rates of oil in different forms and environments revealed by ramped pyrolysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:10966-10974. [PMID: 25105342 DOI: 10.1021/es501354c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Degradation of oil contamination yields stabilized products by removing and transforming reactive and volatile compounds. In contaminated coastal environments, the processes of degradation are influenced by shoreline energy, which increases the surface area of the oil as well as exchange between oil, water, sediments, microbes, oxygen, and nutrients. Here, a ramped pyrolysis carbon isotope technique is employed to investigate thermochemical and isotopic changes in organic material from coastal environments contaminated with oil from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Oiled beach sediment, tar ball, and marsh samples were collected from a barrier island and a brackish marsh in southeast Louisiana over a period of 881 days. Stable carbon ((13)C) and radiocarbon ((14)C) isotopic data demonstrate a predominance of oil-derived carbon in the organic material. Ramped pyrolysis profiles indicate that the organic material was transformed into more stable forms. Our data indicate relative rates of stabilization in the following order, from fastest to slowest: high energy beach sediments > low energy beach sediments > marsh > tar balls. Oil was transformed most rapidly where shoreline energy and the rates of oil dispersion and exchange with water, sediments, microbes, oxygen, and nutrients were greatest. Still, isotope data reveal persistence of oil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Pendergraft
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tulane University , New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States
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Horst C, Sharma VK, Baum JC, Sohn M. Organic matter source discrimination by humic acid characterization: synchronous scan fluorescence spectroscopy and Ferrate(VI). CHEMOSPHERE 2013; 90:2013-2019. [PMID: 23211321 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 09/25/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In this study, seven soil and sedimentary humic acid samples were analyzed by synchronous scan fluorescence (SSF) spectroscopy. The spectra of these humic acids were compared to each other and characterized, based on three major SSF peaks centered at approximately 281, 367 and 470 nm. Intensity ratios were calculated based on these peaks that were used to numerically assist in source discrimination. All humic acid samples were then reacted with Ferrate(VI) and were again analyzed with SSF. Upon the addition of Ferrate(VI) SSF spectra were obtained which more readily differentiated humic acid source. This method will assist geochemists and water management districts in tracing sources of organic matter to receiving water bodies and may aid in the elucidation of the chemical nature of humic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Horst
- Department of Environmental Science, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
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White HK, Xu L, Hartmann P, Quinn JG, Reddy CM. Unresolved complex mixture (UCM) in coastal environments is derived from fossil sources. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:726-731. [PMID: 23252469 DOI: 10.1021/es3042065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The unresolved complex mixture (UCM) frequently dominates organic extracts isolated from estuarine and coastal sediments in the vicinity of industrial centers. Despite an obvious link to a petroleum source, speculation exists that biogenic sources also contribute to the UCM. To determine the source of the UCM to these environments, natural abundance radiocarbon (Δ(14)C) and stable carbon (δ(13)C) isotopic composition of the UCM solvent-extracted from coastal sediments, road dust, and urban atmospheric particulate in the United States was measured. Extracts of UCM and separate saturate and aromatic fractions from all samples are predominantly (>90%) fossil-derived and hence have a petroleum source. Even the polar fraction of the UCM, which has a Δ(14)C composition reflecting contributions from recently photosynthesized carbon (-665‰), is composed of ~66% fossil carbon indicating the presence of petroleum residues that have been transformed into more polar derivatives. The δ(13)C of the UCM had consistent values (-27.65 ± 0.51‰; n = 16) for all but one sample, indicating a common origin of the UCM. We conclude that in coastal areas dominated by human activities whole fractions of the UCM, as well as separate saturate, aromatic, and polar fractions, are principally derived from petroleum sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen K White
- Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041, USA.
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Ahad JME, Burns L, Mancini S, Slater GF. Assessing microbial uptake of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater systems using natural abundance radiocarbon. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2010; 44:5092-5097. [PMID: 20527914 DOI: 10.1021/es100080c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Carbon sources utilized by the active microbial communities in shallow groundwater systems underlying three petroleum service stations were characterized using natural abundance radiocarbon ((14)C). Total organic carbon (TOC) Delta(14)C values ranged from -314 to -972 per thousand and petroleum-extracted residues (EXT-RES) ranged from -293 to -971 per thousand. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs)-biomarkers for active microbial populations-ranged from -405 to -885 per thousand and a comparison of these values with potential carbon sources pointed to significant microbial assimilation of (14)C-free fossil carbon. The most (14)C-depleted PLFAs were found in the samples with the highest concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). A radiocarbon mass balance indicated up to 43% of the carbon in microbial PLFAs was derived from TPHs, providing direct evidence for biodegradation at two of three sites. At lower levels of TPHs Delta(14)C values of PLFAs were generally similar to or more enriched than all other carbon in the system indicating microbial utilization of a more (14)C-enriched carbon source and no resolvable evidence for microbial incorporation of petroleum-derived carbon. Results from this study suggest that it is possible to delineate petroleum biodegradation in groundwater systems using these techniques even in complex situations where there exists a wide range in the ages of natural organic matter (i.e., EXT-RES).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M E Ahad
- School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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Reddy CM. Comment on "Occurrence and concentrations of benzotriazole UV stabilizers in marine organisms and sediments from the Ariake Sea, Japan". ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2009; 43:7998-7999. [PMID: 19921929 DOI: 10.1021/es902536u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
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