The Deepwater Horizon oil spill produced large subsurface plumes of dispersed oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico that stimulated growth of psychrophilic, hydrocarbon degrading bacteria. We tracked succession of plume bacteria before, during and after the 83-day spill to determine the microbial response and biodegradation potential throughout the incident. Dominant bacteria shifted substantially ...

From the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh (B.D.G.); and the Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (H.J.O.); and the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (M.Y.L.) — both in New Orleans. Address repr...

In this study we tested the use of seabird blood as a bioindicator of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution in the marine environment. Blood cells of breeding yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) were able to track spatial and temporal changes consistent with the massive oil pollution pulse that resulted from the Prestige oil spill. Thus, in 2004, blood samples from yellow-legged g...

The technical aspects of oil spill remote sensing are examined and the practical uses and drawbacks of each technology are given with a focus on unfolding technology. The use of visible techniques is ubiquitous, but limited to certain observational conditions and simple applications. Infrared cameras offer some potential as oil spill sensors but have several limitations. Both techniques, althou...

The aim of this work was to determine the effect of light crude oil on bacterial communities during an experimental oil spill in the North Sea and in mesocosms (simulating a heavy, enclosed oil spill), and to isolate and characterize hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from the water column. No oil-induced changes in bacterial community (3 m below the sea surface) were observed 32 h after the experi...

An oil spill occurred off Goa, west coast of India, on 23 March 2005 due to collision of two vessels. In general, fair weather with weak winds prevails along the west coast of India during March. In that case, the spill would have moved slowly and reached the coast. However, in 2005 when this event occurred, relatively stronger winds prevailed, and these winds forced the spill to move away from...

Assessments of large-scale disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are problematic because while measurements of post-disturbance conditions are common, measurements of pre-disturbance baselines are only rarely available. Without adequate observations of pre-disaster organismal and environmental conditions, it is impossible to assess the impact of such catastrophes on animal populat...

On April 20, 2010, an oil well cap explosion below the Deepwater Horizon, an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, started the worst human-caused submarine oil spill ever. Though an historic tragedy for the marine ecosystem, the unprecedented monitoring of the spill in real time by satellites and increased modeling of the natural oceanic flows has provided a wealth of data, allowing analysis...

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 resulted in record amounts of oil and dispersants that potentially could be circulated far from the spill origin. Research was conducted to examine the possibility of transfer of oil compounds into the marine foodchain. Specifically, the pathway of oil uptake by menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico, a fish that migrates to waters off the c...

With increasing oil exploration in Arctic regions, the risk of an accidental oil spill into the environment is inevitably elevated. As a result, concerns have been raised over the potential impact of oil exposure on Arctic organisms. This study assessed the effects of an acute oil exposure (mimicking an accidental spill) on the immune function and oxidative stress status of the Arctic scallop C...