Persistence and biodegradation of spilled residual fuel oil on an estuarine beach.
The enrichment of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and the persistence of petroleum hydrocarbons on an estuarine beach after a spill of residual fuel oil on 11 April 1973 in Upper Narragansett Bay, R.I. was investigated. A rapid enrichment occurred during days 4 to 16 after the oil spill and a significant population of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria was maintained in the beach sand for at least a year. The concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mid-tide area declined rapidly during the bacterial enrichment period, remained fairly constant throughout the summer, and then declined to a low concentration after 1 year. An increased concentration of branched and cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons in the low-tide sediment 128 days after the spill suggested a migration of hydrocarbons during the summer. Hydrocarbon biodegradation was apparent during the winter months at a rate of less than 1 mug of hydrocarbon per g of dry sediment per day.
D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002452:Cell Count; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005648:Fuel Oils; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010578:Petroleum; D012237:Rhode Island; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013696:Temperature; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical
D000473:Alkanes; D005648:Fuel Oils; D009281:Naphthalenes; D010578:Petroleum