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Abstract
Oil spilled into the ocean interacts with suspended matter forming aggregates that transport oil into subsurface layers and towards the bottom. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments to explore aggregation of oil with natural phytoplankton assemblages from Cook Inlet, Alaska at three times during a spring bloom. Oil and phytoplankton formed marine oil snow (MOS) that remained positively buoyant with a small fraction of MOS sinking to the bottom of our experimental bottles. Seawater treatments amended with suspended sediments formed oil-mineral aggregates (OMAs) with an oil capacity similar to MOS (∼20% of aggregate area was covered with oil). OMAs accelerated oil sedimentation in our bottles relative to MOS sedimentation underlining the significance of suspended matter as ballast for sinking oil. Our results reveal potential transport mechanisms of oil in Cook Inlet which apply to other coastal systems with high productivity and sediment loads.
Department
Civil Engineering; Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory
Publication Date
7-1-2024
Journal Title
Environmental Research Communications
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Jesse Ross et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 075032
Rights
© 2024 The Author(s).
Comments
This is an open access article published by IOP Publishing in Environmental Research Communications in 2024, available online: https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ad6125