Study shows deepwater oil plume in Gulf degraded by microbes
In the aftermath of the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a dispersed oil plume was formed at a depth between 3,600 and 4,000 feet and extending some 10 miles out from the wellhead. An intensive study by scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that microbial activity, spearheaded by a new and unclassified species, degrades oil much faster than anticipated. This degradation appears to take place without a significant level of oxygen depletion.
Paper:
Published Online August 24, 2010
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1195979
Deep-Sea Oil Plume Enriches Indigenous Oil-Degrading Bacteria
Terry C. Hazen,1,* Eric A. Dubinsky,1 Todd Z. DeSantis,1 Gary L. Andersen,1 Yvette M. Piceno,1 Navjeet Singh,1 Janet K. Jansson,1 Alexander Probst,1 Sharon E. Borglin,1 Julian L. Fortney,1 William T. Stringfellow,1,3 Markus Bill,1 Mark S. Conrad,1 Lauren M. Tom,1 Krystle L. Chavarria,1 Thana R. Alusi,1 Regina Lamendella,1 Dominique C. Joyner,1 Chelsea Spier,3 Jacob Baelum,1 Manfred Auer,1 Marcin L. Zemla,1 Romy Chakraborty,1 Eric L. Sonnenthal,1 Patrik D’haeseleer,4 Hoi-Ying N. Holman,1 Shariff Osman,1 Zhenmei Lu,2 Joy D. Van Nostrand,2 Ye Deng,2 Jizhong Zhou,1,2 Olivia U. Mason1
The biological effects and expected fate of the vast amount of oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon blowout are unknown due to the depth and magnitude of this event. Here, we report that the dispersed hydrocarbon plume stimulated deep-sea indigenous {gamma}-proteobacteria that are closely related to known petroleum-degraders.
Tags: oilspill
