Biodegradation, photooxidation and dissolution of petroleum compounds in an Arctic fjord during summer
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Biodegradation, photooxidation and dissolution of petroleum compounds in an Arctic fjord during summer. / Vergeynst, Leendert; Greer, Charles W; Mosbech, Anders; Gustavson, Kim; Meire, Lorenz; Poulsen, Kristoffer Gulmark; Christensen, Jan H.
In: Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 53, No. 21, 2019, p. 12197-12206.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Biodegradation, photooxidation and dissolution of petroleum compounds in an Arctic fjord during summer
AU - Vergeynst, Leendert
AU - Greer, Charles W
AU - Mosbech, Anders
AU - Gustavson, Kim
AU - Meire, Lorenz
AU - Poulsen, Kristoffer Gulmark
AU - Christensen, Jan H
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Increased economic activity in the Arctic may increase the risk of oil spills. Yet, little is known about the degradation of oil spills by solar radiation and the impact of nutrient limitation on oil biodegradation under Arctic conditions. We deployed adsorbents coated with thin oil films for up to 4 months in a fjord in SW Greenland to simulate and investigate in situ biodegradation and photooxidation of dispersed oil droplets. Oil compound depletion by dissolution, biodegradation and photooxidation was untangled by GC-MS-based oil fingerprinting. Biodegradation was limited by low nutrient concentrations, reaching 97% removal of nC13-26-alkanes only after 112 days. Sequencing of bacterial DNA showed the slow development of a bacterial biofilm on the oil films predominated by the known oil degrading bacteria Oleispira, Alkanindiges and Cycloclasticus. These taxa could be related to biodegradation of shorter-chain (≤C26) alkanes, longer-chain (≥C16) and branched alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), respectively. The combination of biodegradation, dissolution and photooxidation depleted most PACs at substantially faster rates than the biodegradation of alkanes. In Arctic fjords during summer, nutrient limitation may severely delay oil biodegradation, but in the photic zone, photolytic transformation of PACs may play an important role.
AB - Increased economic activity in the Arctic may increase the risk of oil spills. Yet, little is known about the degradation of oil spills by solar radiation and the impact of nutrient limitation on oil biodegradation under Arctic conditions. We deployed adsorbents coated with thin oil films for up to 4 months in a fjord in SW Greenland to simulate and investigate in situ biodegradation and photooxidation of dispersed oil droplets. Oil compound depletion by dissolution, biodegradation and photooxidation was untangled by GC-MS-based oil fingerprinting. Biodegradation was limited by low nutrient concentrations, reaching 97% removal of nC13-26-alkanes only after 112 days. Sequencing of bacterial DNA showed the slow development of a bacterial biofilm on the oil films predominated by the known oil degrading bacteria Oleispira, Alkanindiges and Cycloclasticus. These taxa could be related to biodegradation of shorter-chain (≤C26) alkanes, longer-chain (≥C16) and branched alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), respectively. The combination of biodegradation, dissolution and photooxidation depleted most PACs at substantially faster rates than the biodegradation of alkanes. In Arctic fjords during summer, nutrient limitation may severely delay oil biodegradation, but in the photic zone, photolytic transformation of PACs may play an important role.
U2 - 10.1021/acs.est.9b03336
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.9b03336
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 31566367
VL - 53
SP - 12197
EP - 12206
JO - Environmental Science & Technology
JF - Environmental Science & Technology
SN - 0013-936X
IS - 21
ER -
ID: 228413558