Abstract
A break in an oil pipeline in mid-winter caused oil to travel underground over a distance of about 850 m. Oil moved upwards through cracks in the frozen soil, especially during recovery attempts. The contamination in the affected area varied considerably both horizontally and vertically. Oil contamination and damage to the soil structure due to the clean-up efforts caused serious yield decreases during the next summer. In subsequent growing seasons oil was the major factor in reducing yields. Total above-ground dry matter and grain yield were affected similarly by oil pollution; even very small amounts of oil (less than 0·2% by weight) in the 0–30 cm or 0–90 cm depth reduced yields considerably. Oil reduced the available N content of the soil and markedly reduced water uptake by wheat from contaminated layers or from below such layers. Problems in reclaiming soils with oil contamination below the topsoil are discussed.
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