Abstract
Oil spills in oceans have substantial influence on marine ecosystems. This study investigates 21 oil spills in the world. Analyzing Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiomerer (MODIS) data after Penglai oil spills on 4 June 2011, found a bloom with peak value of Chl-a (13.66 mg m−3) spread over an area of 800 km2 during 18–25 June 2011, and a pronounced increase in the monthly Chl-a concentration (6.40 mg m−3) on June 2012 in the Bohai Sea. Out of the 21 oil spills, 14 blooms were observed, while 11 blooms associated with oil spills in the time interval of 3–10 months. In total, about 75% blooms occurred during June–August. Among all 14 blooms, 72% appeared when temperature was warm (20–30 °C), 7% appeared when temperature was low (10–20 °C), and the remaining 21% occurred when temperature was lower than 10 °C. This research concludes that the odds of a phytoplankton bloom after an oil spillage are higher at the time of higher temperature (>20 °C). The short-term impact of the oil spills on ecosystem could mainly depend on the quantity and composition of oil, while the long-term impact of the oil spills on ecosystem could be related to biodegradation of microorganisms.
Highlights
The oil spills in the ocean can have considerable influence on marine ecology, which have become one of the serious environmental concerns
The short-term impact of the oil spills on ecosystem could mainly depend on the quantity and composition of oil, while the longterm impact of the oil spills on ecosystem could be related to biodegradation of microorganisms
The movement and dispersion of oil spills in the ocean water are controlled by the surface wind, ocean currents and vertical mixing
Summary
The oil spills in the ocean can have considerable influence on marine ecology, which have become one of the serious environmental concerns. The risk of oil spills remains high in the global. According to the report of National Oceanic Administration in 2010, in average, an oil spill happens once every 4 days in coastal areas of China. The common list of reasons for oil spills in the ocean include offshore/onshore oil exploration, movements of oil tankers, ships, cruise sand submarines, and the waste produced due to general operation of the tankers (unloading, filling oil tankers, and cleaning) (Rogowska and Namiesnik 2010; Abbriano et al 2011). Oil spills greatly impact shallow water and coastal resources, fishery resources, tourist industry, and ecosystems, especially mangroves, and salt marshes (Gundlach and Hayes 1978)
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