Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5757235 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2017 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Biodegradation is an important process for hydrocarbon weathering that influences its fate and transport, yet little is known about in situ biodegradation rates of specific hydrocarbon compounds in the deep ocean. Using data collected in the Gulf of Mexico below 700 m during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we calculated first-order degradation rate constants for 49 hydrocarbons and inferred degradation rate constants for an additional 5 data-deficient hydrocarbons. Resulting calculated (not inferred) half-lives of the hydrocarbons ranged from 0.4 to 36.5 days. The fastest degrading hydrocarbons were toluene (k = â 1.716), methylcyclohexane (k = â 1.538), benzene (k = â 1.333), and C1-naphthalene (k = â 1.305). The slowest degrading hydrocarbons were the large straight-chain alkanes, C-26 through C-33 (k = â 0.0494 through k = â 0.007). Ratios of C-18 to phytane supported the hypothesis that the primary means of degradation in the subsurface was microbial biodegradation. These degradation rate constants can be used to improve models describing the fate and transport of hydrocarbons in the event of an accidental deep ocean oil spill.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Anne E. Thessen, Elizabeth W. North,