title: Marine Oil Biodegradation.
abstract: Crude oil has been part of the marine environment for millions of years, and microbes that use its rich source of energy and carbon are found in seawater, sediments, and shorelines from the tropics to the polar regions. Catastrophic oil spills stimulate these organisms to "bloom" in a reproducible fashion, and although oil does not provide bioavailable nitrogen, phosphorus or iron, there are enough of these nutrients in the sea that when dispersed oil droplets dilute to low concentrations these low levels are adequate for microbial growth. Most of the hydrocarbons in dispersed oil are degraded in aerobic marine waters with a half-life of days to months. In contrast, oil that reaches shorelines is likely to be too concentrated, have lower levels of nutrients, and have a far longer residence time in the environment. Oil that becomes entrained in anaerobic sediments is also likely to have a long residence time, although it too will eventually be biodegraded. Thus, data that encompass everything from the ecosystem to the molecular level are needed for understanding the complicated process of petroleum biodegradation in marine environments.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Bredesen Center, Genome Science & Technology, Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States and.|Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States.|ExxonMobil Biomed Sci Inc., Annandale, New Jersey 08801, United States.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
authors.forename: Terry C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hazen
authors.affiliation: Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Bredesen Center, Genome Science & Technology, Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States and.|Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States.|ExxonMobil Biomed Sci Inc., Annandale, New Jersey 08801, United States.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.affiliation: Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Bredesen Center, Genome Science & Technology, Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States and.|Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States.|ExxonMobil Biomed Sci Inc., Annandale, New Jersey 08801, United States.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
authors.forename: Nagissa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D006207:Half-Life; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D010758:Phosphorus; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen