Abstract
Three years after the most severe oil spill affected Brazil’s coastline, tar balls still recurrently reach the Brazilian northeastern beaches. New accidents involving oil spills have not been reported since 2019. Information on the origin of these new oil deposits remains scarce. Samples of the tar balls found along Brazilian beaches in May 2022 were analyzed for hydrocarbon signatures, revealing a clear link with the oil that washed ashore in 2019. The new tar balls were more affected by biodegradation than photooxidation, suggesting the oil was trapped in the subtidal sediments and was later transported to the coast by marine currents. This work provides the first evidence of the persistence of oil in the marine environment and raises concerns regarding future oil influxes on the Brazilian coast.
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