The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the USA’s Gulf of Mexico created a high degree of exposure of marine organisms to toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in crude oil. To determine the ecological and physio...The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the USA’s Gulf of Mexico created a high degree of exposure of marine organisms to toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in crude oil. To determine the ecological and physiological effects of crude oil on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative created several research consortia to address overreaching questions concerning the biological impacts of the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico that would otherwise be beyond the capabilities of an individual investigator or a small group. One of these consortia, highlighted in this article, is the RECOVER Consortium, which brings together physiologists, developmental biologists, toxicologists and other life scientists to focus on the multifaceted physiological effects of PAHs, especially as they pertain to cardiovascular and metabolic physiology of economically important fish species. Using the Recover Consortium’s interdisciplinary approach to revealing the biological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as a case study, we make the argument for interdisciplinary teams that bring together scientists with different specialties as an efficient way—and perhaps the only way—to unravel highly complex biological effects of marine oil spills.展开更多
The largest accidental marine oil spill (4.9 million barrels) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) seabed (1600 m) caused by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010, put to the test once again the resilient capaci...The largest accidental marine oil spill (4.9 million barrels) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) seabed (1600 m) caused by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010, put to the test once again the resilient capacity of the pelagic and benthic realms of this Large Marine Ecosystem. Many are the ecological services provided by its waters (fisheries, tourism, aquaculture and fossil fuel reserves) to neighboring countries (US, Mexico and Cuba). However, the unprecedented volumes of hydrocarbons, gas and chemical dispersants (Corexit) introduced in the system, represent ecological stressors whose deleterious effects are still the subject of civil claims and scientific controversy. Presumably, the short scale effects were confined to the Gulf’s northeastern shallow waters, and the combined actions of weathering, biodegradation, and oil recovery left the system almost under pre-spill conditions. Unfortunately, surface and subsurface oil plumes were detected in the spill aftermath, and their dispersion trajectories threatened Mexico EEZ. Surface oil slicks were detected in the pristine waters of northern Yucatán, while subsurface oil plumes from the Macondo’s well blowout were dangerously advancing southwest towards key fishing grounds in the northwestern GoM. This disaster prompted the Mexican government to implement an ambitious ocean monitoring program adopting a bottom-up approach focused on building a base line for more than 42 physicochemical and biological variables for water, sediment and biota from the continental shelf-slope region of the NW GoM. Technological constraints have precluded systematic observations in the vast Mexican EEZ that could discriminate natural variability and oil seep emissions from antropic disturbances. Therefore, preliminary risk analyses relied on seasonal and historical records. Two years of field observations revealed subtle environmental changes in the studied area attributed to antropic disturbances. Waters maintained oligotrophic conditions and zooplankton and benthic infaunal biomass were also poor. Biomarkers in sediments and biota did not exceed EPA’s benchmarks, and sediment’s fingerprinting (δ13C) indicated marine carbon sources. Geomarkers revealed an active transport from the Mississippi towards the NW GoM of phyllosilicates bearing a weathered oil coating. Consequently, shelf and slope sediment toxicity begins to show an increasing trend in the region. The complexity of hydrocarbons bioaccumulation and biodegradation processes in deep waters of the GoM seems to indicate that meso-and large-scale observations may prove to be essential in understanding the capacity of the GoM to recover its ecological stability.展开更多
Based on a Lagrangian integral technique and Lagrangian particle-tracking technique,a numerical model was developed to simulate the underwater transport of oil from a deepwater spill. This model comprises two submodel...Based on a Lagrangian integral technique and Lagrangian particle-tracking technique,a numerical model was developed to simulate the underwater transport of oil from a deepwater spill. This model comprises two submodels: a plume dynamics model and an advection-diffusion model. The former is used to simulate the stages dominated by the initial jet momentum and plume buoyancy of the spilled oil,while the latter is used to simulate the stage dominated by the ambient current and turbulence. The model validity was verified through comparisons of the model predictions with experimental data from several laboratory flume experiments and a field experiment. To demonstrate the capability of the model further,it was applied to the simulation of a hypothetical oil spill occurring at the seabed of a deepwater oil/gas field in the South China Sea. The results of the simulation would be useful for contingency planning with regard to the emergency response to an underwater oil spill.展开更多
The deepwater horizon blowout led to the release of 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico （GOM）. Here the paper analyzes available sediment datasets to determine whether changes in petrogenic cont...The deepwater horizon blowout led to the release of 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico （GOM）. Here the paper analyzes available sediment datasets to determine whether changes in petrogenic contaminants are evident in GOM sediment following the blowout. Locations sampled by EPA （Environmental Protection Agency）, British Petroleum （BP） and NOAA （National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration） were reduced and grouped into 46 similar locations and analyzed. Eleven groups suggested an increase in PAIl （polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon） and nickel, one group showed a statistically significant increase in Phenanthrene. Four locations were analyzed for time trends and differences between initial and peak concentrations of oil range organics （ORO）, diesel range organics （DRO）, vanadium and nickel. One location had significant increases in ORO, DRO and vanadium and a suggestive increase in nickel. Correlations between ORO/DRO, ORO/V, ORO/Ni, V/Ni were computed （RE= 0.85, 0.67, 0.64, 0.92, respectively）. Overall, the analyses suggest that future monitoring should employ a sampling strategy that coordinates response sampling to previously sampled locations, such that baseline datasets can be used in detection of event associated contamination.展开更多
The formation of oil-water emulsion often occurs when oil is spilled into the ocean. Oil weighting factor of oil-water emulsion is one of the most important parameters for emergent oil-spill microwave monitoring. A ne...The formation of oil-water emulsion often occurs when oil is spilled into the ocean. Oil weighting factor of oil-water emulsion is one of the most important parameters for emergent oil-spill microwave monitoring. A new method is proposed here to evaluate the oil weighting factor based on fractional Weierstrass scattering model. By using the proposed method, we analyze the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar(UAVSAR) L-band fully polarimetric data acquired during 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster event in the Gulf of Mexico. The result shows that our method performs well in evaluating oil weighting factor of oil-covered area.展开更多
文摘The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the USA’s Gulf of Mexico created a high degree of exposure of marine organisms to toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in crude oil. To determine the ecological and physiological effects of crude oil on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative created several research consortia to address overreaching questions concerning the biological impacts of the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico that would otherwise be beyond the capabilities of an individual investigator or a small group. One of these consortia, highlighted in this article, is the RECOVER Consortium, which brings together physiologists, developmental biologists, toxicologists and other life scientists to focus on the multifaceted physiological effects of PAHs, especially as they pertain to cardiovascular and metabolic physiology of economically important fish species. Using the Recover Consortium’s interdisciplinary approach to revealing the biological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as a case study, we make the argument for interdisciplinary teams that bring together scientists with different specialties as an efficient way—and perhaps the only way—to unravel highly complex biological effects of marine oil spills.
文摘The largest accidental marine oil spill (4.9 million barrels) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) seabed (1600 m) caused by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010, put to the test once again the resilient capacity of the pelagic and benthic realms of this Large Marine Ecosystem. Many are the ecological services provided by its waters (fisheries, tourism, aquaculture and fossil fuel reserves) to neighboring countries (US, Mexico and Cuba). However, the unprecedented volumes of hydrocarbons, gas and chemical dispersants (Corexit) introduced in the system, represent ecological stressors whose deleterious effects are still the subject of civil claims and scientific controversy. Presumably, the short scale effects were confined to the Gulf’s northeastern shallow waters, and the combined actions of weathering, biodegradation, and oil recovery left the system almost under pre-spill conditions. Unfortunately, surface and subsurface oil plumes were detected in the spill aftermath, and their dispersion trajectories threatened Mexico EEZ. Surface oil slicks were detected in the pristine waters of northern Yucatán, while subsurface oil plumes from the Macondo’s well blowout were dangerously advancing southwest towards key fishing grounds in the northwestern GoM. This disaster prompted the Mexican government to implement an ambitious ocean monitoring program adopting a bottom-up approach focused on building a base line for more than 42 physicochemical and biological variables for water, sediment and biota from the continental shelf-slope region of the NW GoM. Technological constraints have precluded systematic observations in the vast Mexican EEZ that could discriminate natural variability and oil seep emissions from antropic disturbances. Therefore, preliminary risk analyses relied on seasonal and historical records. Two years of field observations revealed subtle environmental changes in the studied area attributed to antropic disturbances. Waters maintained oligotrophic conditions and zooplankton and benthic infaunal biomass were also poor. Biomarkers in sediments and biota did not exceed EPA’s benchmarks, and sediment’s fingerprinting (δ13C) indicated marine carbon sources. Geomarkers revealed an active transport from the Mississippi towards the NW GoM of phyllosilicates bearing a weathered oil coating. Consequently, shelf and slope sediment toxicity begins to show an increasing trend in the region. The complexity of hydrocarbons bioaccumulation and biodegradation processes in deep waters of the GoM seems to indicate that meso-and large-scale observations may prove to be essential in understanding the capacity of the GoM to recover its ecological stability.
基金Supported by the 12th Five-Year Project of Science and Technology of China National Offshore Oil Corporation “Development of Underwater Oil Spill Numerical Simulation in Deep Water”(No.CNOOC-KJ 125 ZDXM 00 000 00 NFCY 2011-03)
文摘Based on a Lagrangian integral technique and Lagrangian particle-tracking technique,a numerical model was developed to simulate the underwater transport of oil from a deepwater spill. This model comprises two submodels: a plume dynamics model and an advection-diffusion model. The former is used to simulate the stages dominated by the initial jet momentum and plume buoyancy of the spilled oil,while the latter is used to simulate the stage dominated by the ambient current and turbulence. The model validity was verified through comparisons of the model predictions with experimental data from several laboratory flume experiments and a field experiment. To demonstrate the capability of the model further,it was applied to the simulation of a hypothetical oil spill occurring at the seabed of a deepwater oil/gas field in the South China Sea. The results of the simulation would be useful for contingency planning with regard to the emergency response to an underwater oil spill.
文摘The deepwater horizon blowout led to the release of 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico （GOM）. Here the paper analyzes available sediment datasets to determine whether changes in petrogenic contaminants are evident in GOM sediment following the blowout. Locations sampled by EPA （Environmental Protection Agency）, British Petroleum （BP） and NOAA （National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration） were reduced and grouped into 46 similar locations and analyzed. Eleven groups suggested an increase in PAIl （polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon） and nickel, one group showed a statistically significant increase in Phenanthrene. Four locations were analyzed for time trends and differences between initial and peak concentrations of oil range organics （ORO）, diesel range organics （DRO）, vanadium and nickel. One location had significant increases in ORO, DRO and vanadium and a suggestive increase in nickel. Correlations between ORO/DRO, ORO/V, ORO/Ni, V/Ni were computed （RE= 0.85, 0.67, 0.64, 0.92, respectively）. Overall, the analyses suggest that future monitoring should employ a sampling strategy that coordinates response sampling to previously sampled locations, such that baseline datasets can be used in detection of event associated contamination.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61331021)
文摘The formation of oil-water emulsion often occurs when oil is spilled into the ocean. Oil weighting factor of oil-water emulsion is one of the most important parameters for emergent oil-spill microwave monitoring. A new method is proposed here to evaluate the oil weighting factor based on fractional Weierstrass scattering model. By using the proposed method, we analyze the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar(UAVSAR) L-band fully polarimetric data acquired during 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster event in the Gulf of Mexico. The result shows that our method performs well in evaluating oil weighting factor of oil-covered area.
