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Microbial response to crude oil and Corexit 9527: SEAFLUXES enclosure study

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Abstract

The response of marine bacteria to Corexit 9527, with and without Prudhoe Bay crude oil labeled withn−(1−14C)hexadecane, in a temperate pelagic environment was monitored over 22 days using controlled ecosystem enclosures. The results indicated that Corexit and Corexit-dispersed crude oil stimulated bacterial production by serving as substrates and/or by inducing the release of organic compounds from the indigenous phytoplankton population. Highest bacterial standing stock was observed in the enclosure treated with a mixture of Corexit and crude oil, in which a large fraction of the predominant bacterivores were eliminated. Biodegradation appeared to be more significant than abiotic processes in contributing to the loss of low volatility n-alkanes in Corexit-dispersed oil. Twenty-two days following its addition, 50% of the radiotracer was recovered: 3% in the suspended particulate fraction, 10% in sedimentary material, 36% as CO2, and less than 1% in the dissolved organic pool.

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Author notes

  1. K. Lee

    Present address: Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, B2Y 4A2, Dartmouth, N.S., Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, B. C., Canada

    K. Lee, C. S. Wong, W. J. Cretney & F. A. Whitney

  2. Departments of Oceanography and Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada

    T. R. Parsons & C. M. Lalli

  3. Third Oceanographic Institute, National Bureau of Oceanography, Xiamen, Fujian, People's Republic of China

    J. Wu

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  1. K. Lee
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  2. C. S. Wong
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  5. T. R. Parsons
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  6. C. M. Lalli
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  7. J. Wu
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Lee, K., Wong, C.S., Cretney, W.J. et al. Microbial response to crude oil and Corexit 9527: SEAFLUXES enclosure study. Microb Ecol 11, 337–351 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016816

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