Abstract
In situ burning (ISB) is an oil spill clean-up option used by oil spill responders to mitigate impacts on the marine environment. Despite advantages such as high efficiency and potential applicability for challenging areas such as the Arctic, the actual environmental side effects are still uncertain. Acute and sublethal effects of the water accommodated fractions (WAFs from 25 g oil/L seawater) of a pre-weathered North Sea crude (Oseberg Blend 200 °C+) and field generated ISB residue were evaluated on Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) larvae. The larvae were first exposed for 96 h to a serial dilution of seven concentrations, and then maintained for two weeks in clean seawater post-exposure. No acute (mortality) or sublethal effects (feeding, development, or growth) were detected in any of the ISB residue concentrations. Significant larvae mortality was found in the three highest concentrations of crude oil (96-h LC50:469 μg/L total petroleum hydrocarbon) but no sublethal effects were found in the surviving larvae post-exposure. This study indicates that applying ISB could mitigate acute impacts of spilled oil on shrimp larvae.
Highlights
In situ burning (ISB) is the controlled burning of crude oil or refined products at the location of an oil spill, applicable in open marine waters, coastal and freshwater environments from temperate regions to high northern latitudes
The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration in the original WAFNSC was about 20 times greater compared to WAFISBR
While WAFNSC contained about 13 times more semi-volatile compounds in total than WAFISBR, NSC/ISBR ratios for poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were relatively similar with ratios ranging from 9 for naphthalenes, 6 for 2–3 ring PAHs to 2 for 4–6 ring PAHs
Summary
In situ burning (ISB) is the controlled burning of crude oil or refined products at the location of an oil spill, applicable in open marine waters, coastal and freshwater environments from temperate regions to high northern latitudes. Few studies investigating the acute and long-term effects of unburned oil and ISB residue fractions in marine organisms are published, for Arctic areas (Frit t-Rasmussen et al, 2015). There is an indication of low to no acute toxicity of ISB residues to aquatic organisms compared to other operative spill response options such as mechanical or chemical dispersion of the oil (Bender et al, 2018; Faksness et al, 2012; Gulec and Holdway, 1999). The relevance for (sub-)arctic condi tions is very limited
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
