Effects Of Crude Oil Spill Research Articles

A Review on the Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Aquatic Life (Fish) in The Niger Delta, Nigeria

A Review on the Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Aquatic Life (Fish) in The Niger Delta, Nigeria

Integrative description of changes occurring on zebrafish embryos exposed to water-soluble crude oil components and its mixture with a chemical surfactant

The effects of crude oil spills are an ongoing problem for wildlife and human health in both marine and freshwater aquatic environments. Bioassays of model organisms are a convenient way to assess the potential risks of the substances involved in oil spills. Zebrafish embryos (ZFE) are a useful to reach a fast and detailed description of the toxicity of the pollutants, including both the components of the crude oil itself and substances that are commonly used for crude oil spill mitigation (e.g. surfactants). Here, we evaluated the survival rate, as well as histological, morphological, and proteomic changes in ZFE exposed to Water Accumulated Fraction (WAF) of light crude oil and in mixture with Dioctyl Sulfosuccinate Sodium (DOSS, e.g. CEWAF: Chemically Enhanced WAF), a surfactant that is frequently used in chemical dispersant formulations. Furthermore, we compared the hydrocarbon concentration of WAF and CEWAF of the sublethal dilution. In histological, morphological, and gene expression variables, the ZFE exposed to WAF showed less changes than those exposed to CEWAF. Proteomic changes were more dramatic in ZFE exposed to WAF, with important alterations in spliceosomal and ribosomal proteins, as well as proteins related to eye and retinal photoreceptor development and heart function. We also found that the concentration of high molecular weight hydrocarbons in water was slighly higher in presence of DOSS, but the low molecular weight hydrocarbons concentration was higher in WAF. These results provide an important starting point for identifying useful crude-oil exposure biomarkers in fish species.

The Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Some Soil Properties of Different Sites in Duhok Governorate-Kurdistan Region of Iraq

A study was conducted to investigate the impact of oil spillage on some properties of soils collected from Kashe and Nzarke sites in Duhok governorate, Kurdistan region of Iraq. Soil samples were taken from each site after one weak and then after three months at 0-15 cm and 15-35 cm depths with control samples approximately 500 m from outside oil spill area. The soil samples were analyzed using standardsof routine laboratory methods to determine some soil properties. Based on results of the study the contaminated area has higher % TN (percentage total nitrogen) (0.34 and 0.28 %), % TOC (percentage total carbon) ( 4.84 and 5.81 %), Pb (lead) (1.59 and 2.28 mg L-1) and Fe (Iron) (3.20 and 3.13 mg L-1) for Kashe and Nzarke sites respectively than the control especially for 0-15 cm. Crude oil causes decrease in soil pH below 8.2 and also reduced the concentration of available phosphorus to a values of (18.40 and 15.20 mg L-1) for Kashe and Nzarke soils respectively than the control (20.60 and 16.20 mg L-1) for the two sites respectively. Higher values for EC (electrical conductivity), % TN, available phosphorouswere found in Kashe site while Nzarke had higher % TOC, % OM (organic matter), CEC (cation exchange capacity), THC (total hydrocarbon) and available phosphorus.

GROWTH COMPARISON OF FOUR ARABLE CROPS ON THE POLLUTED AND UNPOLLUTED SOILS OF BODO CITY IN OGONI LAND RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

The aim of this research was to ascertain the effects of crude oil spill on agricultural soil and plant growth. The soil samples were collected from cultivated area that is not affected by spill and crude oil polluted site both in Bodo city in Gokana Local Government Area of River State and were taken to Campus II Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State. Four selected vital crops were sown on these soils to determine the plant growth response due to the presence of crude oil contamination. The unpolluted soil was used as a control as compared to the polluted one. The parameters analyzed were soil moisture content, pH, Electrical conductivity (E.C), total hydrocarbon content (THC), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, sand, silt and clay. The study revealed that there were adverse effects of crude oil pollution on soil nutrients, fertility as well as plant growth and production. It was also observed that the polluted agricultural land had high concentration of zinc, lead, cadmium and Chromium that are above the limit set in the National Standard for heavy metal pollution on soil. The people’s livelihood as well as their food security is a function of the healthy state of the soil for plant production for sustainability. Therefore, it is recommended that the UNEP Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoni land should be implemented with immediate effect to ameliorate the native effects of crude oil spill on vital food crops of the Ogoni people.

Environmental effects of crude oil spill on the physicochemical and hydrobiological characteristics of the Nun River, Niger Delta.

Oil spill pollution has remained a source of several international litigations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this paper, we examined the impacts of small recurrent crude oil spills on the physicochemical, microbial and hydrobiological properties of the Nun River, a primary source of drinking water, food and recreational activities for communities in the region. Samples were collected from six sampling points along the stretch of the lower Nun River over a 3-week period. Temperature, pH salinity, turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, heavy metals, BTEX, PAHs and microbial and plankton contents were assessed to ascertain the quality and level of deterioration of the river. The results obtained were compared with the baseline data from studies, national and international standards. The results of the physicochemical parameters indicated a significant deterioration of the river quality due to oil production activities. Turbidity, TDS, TSS, DO, conductivity and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) were in breach of the national and international limits for drinking water aquatic health. They were also significantly higher than the initial baseline conditions of the river. Also, there were noticeable changes in the phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbial diversities due to oil pollution across the sampling zones.

Reconnaissance Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Soil Chemical Properties and Plant Composition at Kwawa, Ogoni, Nigeria

Long-term effects on soil chemical properties and plant composition of a crude oil polluted site were assessed using random surface soil samples and quantitative vegetation data collection methods. Results showed that total hydrocarbon content (542.50±28.58 mg kgG1) and total organic carbon (1.06±0.18%) of polluted site were significantly (p = 0.05) higher than the unpolluted site of 27.90±22.10 mg kgG1 and 0.73±0.06%, respectively. Plant species composition showed that Aspillia busei and Heterotis rotundofolia were abundant at polluted site and absent in unpolluted site while Panicum maximum and chromolaena odoratum were absent in polluted site. Species diversities records were 0.37 (polluted site) and 0.64 (unpolluted). Aspillia busei recorded the highest frequency of occurrence (90%) and density (28.2 mG2) in the polluted site while Starchytarpheta jamaicensis recorded the highest frequency of occurrence (40%) and Andropogon tectorum the highest density (3.9 mG2) at the unpolluted site. It can be concluded that the effects of crude oil pollution persists for a long time and negatively affect soil chemical properties, plant species composition and species diversity.

Applicative implications of Carcinus maenas and Ruditapes philippinarum in biomonitoring studies after oil spills

Biomarkers have been tested in order to address the most suitable battery for determining adverse effects of crude oil spills on marine invertebrates. An oil spill with increasing degrees of severity was simulated by mixing crude oil (0%, 0.5%, 2%, 8%, 16%, 32%) with sediment. Carcinus maenas and Ruditapes philippinarum were exposed to this sediment for seven days with the aim of comparing their applicability in biomonitoring studies. Four biomarkers including ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were analysed in gill and digestive gland tissues of clams; and in gill and hepato-pancreas tissues of crabs. EROD, GST and GPx enzymatic activities were significantly induced in gill and digestive gland tissues of clams when increasing oil concentrations (p<.01). In crabs all the biomarkers were significantly activated in gill tissues, whereas EROD and LPO activities were induced only in hepato-pancreas tissues (p<.01). Gill and digestive gland in clams and gill in crabs were found to be the most reliable tissues for analysis of biomarkers. The biomarkers selected are thus considered suitable for assessing toxicity of sediments after a marine crude oil spill accident. Both species were found to be sensitive and suitable for biomonitoring purposes.

Effects of crude oil exposure on bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and survival of adult and larval stages of gelatinous zooplankton.

Gelatinous zooplankton play an important role in marine food webs both as major consumers of metazooplankton and as prey of apex predators (e.g., tuna, sunfish, sea turtles). However, little is known about the effects of crude oil spills on these important components of planktonic communities. We determined the effects of Louisiana light sweet crude oil exposure on survival and bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in adult stages of the scyphozoans Pelagia noctiluca and Aurelia aurita and the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, and on survival of ephyra larvae of A. aurita and cydippid larvae of M. leidyi, in the laboratory. Adult P. noctiluca showed 100% mortality at oil concentration ≥20 µL L−1 after 16 h. In contrast, low or non-lethal effects were observed on adult stages of A. aurita and M. leidyi exposed at oil concentration ≤25 µL L−1 after 6 days. Survival of ephyra and cydippid larva decreased with increasing crude oil concentration and exposition time. The median lethal concentration (LC50) for ephyra larvae ranged from 14.41 to 0.15 µL L−1 after 1 and 3 days, respectively. LC50 for cydippid larvae ranged from 14.52 to 8.94 µL L−1 after 3 and 6 days, respectively. We observed selective bioaccumulation of chrysene, phenanthrene and pyrene in A. aurita and chrysene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, and benzo[a]anthracene in M. leidyi. Overall, our results indicate that (1) A. aurita and M. leidyi adults had a high tolerance to crude oil exposure compared to other zooplankton, whereas P. noctiluca was highly sensitive to crude oil, (2) larval stages of gelatinous zooplankton were more sensitive to crude oil than adult stages, and (3) some of the most toxic PAHs of crude oil can be bioaccumulated in gelatinous zooplankton and potentially be transferred up the food web and contaminate apex predators.

Effects of crude oil on marine microbial communities in short term outdoor microcosms

To assess the effects of crude oil spills on marine microbial communities, 10 L outdoor microcosms were manipulated over an exposure period of 8 days. The responses of microbial organisms exposed to five crude oil concentrations in 10 to 10,000 ppm (v/v) were monitored in the microcosms. The abundance of microalgae and copepods decreased rapidly upon the addition of crude oil at concentrations over 1,000 ppm, whereas the total density of heterotrophic bacteria increased dramatically at the higher concentrations. Bacterial diversity, determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, was increased at higher concentrations. In particular, the intensity of the bands representing Jannaschia sp. and Sulfitobacter brevis increased with the addition of oil. These results indicate that crude oil spills with concentrations over 1,000 ppm seriously affected the structure of the microbial communities.

Weathering of a subarctic oil spill over 25 years: the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed experiment

A small experimental oil spill conducted in an open black spruce forest within the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed (CPCRW), 48 km north of Fairbanks, AK, in the winter of 1976 was designed to examine the effects of crude oil spills in permafrost terrain. No clean-up was attempted, and the site now provides an opportunity to follow the natural weathering of spilled oil under these conditions. In summer 2001, more than 25 years after the spill, we sampled soils from the spill plot and a nearby reference plot to determine how the oil had weathered, and to assess microbial populations and activity. All samples collected from the oiled plot contained substantial amounts of methylene chloride extractable oil, between 4% and 66% by weight. Using 17α(H)21β(H)hopane as a conserved internal marker within the oil, we determined that while some heavily oiled samples were almost unchanged since the spill, others had lost more than 80% of their initial hydrocarbon. Evaporation, biodegradation and photooxidation all seem to have played important roles in this process, but to varying degrees in different samples. Assays of culturable populations of total heterotrophs and crude oil emulsifiers, and mineralization potentials for hexadecane and phenanthrene, indicate that the microbial population in the oiled soils has remained acclimated to degrade hydrocarbons. We conclude that natural weathering processes will eventually lead to the removal of much of the hydrocarbon from these heavily oiled subarctic soils; however, the combination of low rates of nutrient turnover, a short thaw season, and high hydrocarbon concentrations will result in the persistence of oil residue for many more decades. Finding an environmentally appropriate cleanup technology for sites like this remains an important challenge for future research.

The Physical, Chemical and Biological Effects of Crude Oil Spills on Black Spruce Forest, Interior Alaska

... The overall objectives of the study were threefold: 1) To detail the physical effects of crude oil spills in black spruce forests of interior Alaska emphasizing the mode of transport, area of impact vs. time and effects on the active layer and underlying permafrost; 2) To determine the fate of petroleum contaminants once spilled in subarctic terrestrial environments; 3) To evaluate the effects of crude oil spills on vegetation. ...

The Phytotoxicity of Crude Oil Spills in Freshwater

Abstract Field and laboratory experiments have been carried out to determine the toxicity to planktonic algae of crude oil, crude oil - water extracts and also selected oil components. Field experiments were performed in a half-acre pond. Localised spills of crude oil were confined within specially constructed floating cylinders with an attached collar. Three different effects of crude oil spills were noted - 1) certain species were inhibited in their growth 2) other species did not appear to be effected and 3) a number of species showed apparent stimulation following the spill. These results emphasize the great differences in response between species and suggest the actual planktonic composition of a water body of considerable importance in predicting the effects of an oil spill. In laboratory studies the toxicity of the water soluble components of crude oil only were tested. These extracts had a significant effect in increasing acidity of the water, which by itself, reduced algal growth. However, it was found that toxic factors were present, in addition to pH effects. There toxic factors or components appeared to be volatile. Tests with benzene, toluene and xylene - three water soluble crude oil components - showes them all to be toxic, with toxicity increasing in the order indicated.