Oil In Sediments Research Articles

Differences in Sediment Organic Matter Composition and PAH Weathering between Non-Vegetated and Recently Vegetated Fuel Oiled Sediments

We examined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) attenuation in contaminated field sediments after only 2 years of plant growth. We collected sediments from vegetated and non-vegetated areas at the Indiana Harbor Canal (IHC), an industrialized area with historic petroleum contamination of soils and sediments. PAH concentrations, PAH weathering indices, and organic matter composition in sediments colonized by Phragmites, cattails, or willow trees were compared to the same indices for non-vegetated sediments. We hypothesized that bulk sediment and humin fractions with measurable increases in plant organic matter content would show measurable changes to PAH attenuation as indicated by more weathered PAH diagnostic ratios or reduced PAH concentrations. Carbon-normalized PAH concentrations were lower in vegetated bulk sediments but higher in vegetated humin fractions relative to non-vegetated sediment fractions. Total organic carbon content was not indicative of more weathered N3/P2 ratios or reduced PAH concentrations in vegetated sediment fractions. More weathered N3/P2 ratios were observed with increased modern carbon (plant carbon) content of vegetated sediment fractions. Phragmites sediments contained more modern carbon (plant carbon) and more weathered PAH ratios [C3-naphthalenes and C2-phenanthrenes (N3/P2)] than willow, cattail, and non-vegetated sediments.

Crab induced salt marsh regeneration after the 1991 Gulf War oil spill

The 1991 Gulf War led to the largest oil spill in human history. Over 770 km of coastline from southern Kuwait to Abu Ali Island (Saudi Arabia) were smothered with oil and tar, erasing most of the local plant and animal communities. Salt marshes were most severely hit of the different coastal ecosystem types along the Saudi Arabian coast and are far from being completely restored several years later. Repeated monitoring from 1993 until 2004 revealed that, out of several processes, the re-colonisation by crabs is the most important one regarding the restoration of salt marsh ecosystems. The occurrence of crabs (mainly Nasima dotilliformis) is concentrated along tidal channels from where they slowly advance into the adjacent oiled sediment. These results support the statements made by others in the mid 1990's (i.e. Höpner) that the intertidal fauna is clearly the first to re-colonize the oil affected salt marshes (several years before any plant species return). Therefore the idea of digging an artificial network of channels into the salt marshes in order to accelerate the slow process of re-colonisation in greater distance to the channels seems to be the most promising melioration effort.

Comprehensive utilization of the mixture of oil sediments and soapstocks for producing FAME and phosphatides

Comprehensive utilization of the mixture of oil sediments (OS) and soapstock (SS) for producing FAME and phosphatides was investigated. A process consisting of three steps was employed for obtaining high conversion and by-product. In the first step, the OS–SS mixture was extracted with ethyl ether and the mixture was divided into three phases. The organic top phase contained triglycerides and phosphatides was extracted with cooled acetone and the acetone insoluble (phosphatides) was obtained. At the same time, triglycerides were separated also. In the second step, soap phase was then acidified with sulfuric acid to yield fatty acid. This “high-acid” acid oil was efficiently converted to methyl esters by acid-catalyzed esterification. The esterification reaction has been carried out with 5:1 methanol/oil (mol/mol) in the presence 3% H2S04 (wt.%) as an acid catalyst at 85 °C for 5 h. FAME recovery under these conditions was 92.1% of theoretical. In the third step, alkaline catalyzed transesterification process converts the triglycerides to its mono-esters and glycerol. The optimized variables, 6:1 methanol/oil (mol/mol) with 1% NaOH (wt.%) reacted at 65 °C for 1 h, giving a maximum ester yield of 94%. Five important fuel properties of FAME from the OS–SS mixture were found to be comparable to those of No. 2 diesel fuel and conforming to both the American and German standards for biodiesel.

Assessment of organic pollutants in coastal sediments, UAE

Twenty-five stations were selected along the UAE coastal region to delineate the distribution and to determine the source of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The concentrations of TPH ranged between 46 and 223 mg/kg and the level of TOC was in the range from 0.044 to 17.8 wt%, while TPAHs occupied the range of 5–102.2 μg/kg. On the other hand, TPCBs showed values between 60 and 205 μg/kg and TKN ranged from 104 to 1,073 mg/kg. The present study shows that the distribution of organic compounds in UAE sediments were within safe limits comparing with previous studies. The present study revealed that TOC can be used as an indicator of oil pollution in heavily oiled sediments. The highest values of TOC, TPH, TPAHs and TPCBs related to the stations covered in fine sand due to adsorption properties and the large surface areas of the grains. The evaporation of low-boiling point compounds from surface layers leads to the enrichment of sediments with a thick residual. Al Sharjah-1 exhibited the highest values of TPH and TOC at Ras Al-Khaima-5, Umm Al-Quwen-1 and Dubai-1, while the highest values of TPAHs were at KhorFakkan-9, the highest value of TPCBs was at Ajman-2, and the highest values of TKN were at KhorFakkan-1, KhorFakkan-6 and Dubai-1.

Risk of weathered residual Exxon Valdez oil to pink salmon embryos in Prince William Sound

It has been hypothesized that pink salmon eggs incubating in intertidal streams transecting Prince William Sound (PWS) beaches oiled by the Exxon Valdez oil spill were exposed to lethal doses of dissolved hydrocarbons. Since polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in the incubation gravel were too low to cause mortality, the allegation is that dissolved high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons (HPAH) leaching from oil deposits on the beach adjacent to the streams were the source of toxicity. To evaluate this hypothesis, we placed pink salmon eggs in PWS beach sediments containing residual oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill and in control areas without oil. We quantified the hydrocarbon concentrations in the eggs after three weeks of incubation. Tissue PAH concentrations of eggs in oiled sediments were generally < 100 ppb and similar to background levels on nonoiled beaches. Even eggs in direct contact with oil in the sediment resulted in tissue PAH loads well below the lethal threshold concentrations established in laboratory bioassays, and very low concentrations of HPAH compounds were present. These results indicate that petroleum hydrocarbons dissolved from oil deposits on intertidal beaches are not at concentrations that pose toxic risk to incubating pink salmon eggs. The evidence does not support the hypothesis that interstitial pore water in previously oiled beaches is highly toxic.

Effects of Spilled Oil on Bacterial Communities of Mediterranean Coastal Anoxic Sediments Chronically Subjected to Oil Hydrocarbon Contamination

The effects of spilled oil on sedimentary bacterial communities were examined in situ at 20 m water depth in a Mediterranean coastal area. Sediment collected at an experimental site chronically subjected to hydrocarbon inputs was reworked into PVC cores with or without a massive addition of crude Arabian light oil ( approximately 20 g kg(-1) dry weight). Cores were reinserted into the sediment and incubated in situ at the sampling site (20 m water depth) for 135 and 503 days. The massive oil contamination induced significant shifts in the structure of the indigenous bacterial communities as shown by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA). The vertical heterogeneity of the bacterial communities within the sediment was more pronounced in the oiled sediments particularly after 503 days of incubation. Response to oil of the deeper depth communities (8-10 cm) was slower than that of superficial depth communities (0-1 and 2-4 cm). Analysis of the oil composition by gas chromatography revealed a typical microbial alteration of n-alkanes during the experiment. Predominant RISA bands in oiled sediments were affiliated to hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria sequences. In particular, a 395-bp RISA band, which was the dominant band in all the oiled sediments for both incubation times, was closely related to hydrocarbonoclastic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). These bacteria may have contributed to the main fingerprint changes and to the observed biodegradation of n-alkanes. This study provides useful information on bacterial dynamics in anoxic contaminated infralittoral sediments and highlights the need to assess more precisely the contribution of SRB to bioremediation in oil anoxic contaminated areas.

The observation and quantification of oil migration and binding in sediments using T2 magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) makes use of the interactions between atomic nuclei and an external, strong, magnetic field to image the distribution of these nuclei through a substance. In this study, proton MRI has been used to indicate the presence of oil in sediment. Using a multiecho spin-echo acquisition sequence, images of relative oil density, and hence concentration, and of the magnetic resonance relaxation rate, T2, were produced. T2, which is greatly influenced by molecular motion, was equated to binding between the oil and the sediment, thus, providing an almost real-time "description" of all aspects of the oil-sediment interaction including motion of the oil. The interactions among three sediments from the Tay Estuary (East Coast of Scotland) and three crude oils (Fulmar, Forties and Venezuelan) are discussed. Observation of changes in images of oil density and changes in T2, using spread sheets, allow both rates of diffusion of the oil into the sediment and changes in the binding of the oil to the sediment to be calculated. Both the Forties and Fulmar oils move more rapidly than the Venezuelan oil in all of the sediments examined, while the strength of binding is sediment dependent. Thus, the ability of MRI to distinguish between the rates of flow of the oils into the sediment and the strengths of interaction between the various sediments and oils is demonstrated.

Effect of crude oil contaminated sediment exposure on cytochrome P450 enzymes in the Australian asteroid Coscinasterias muricata

Levels of cytochrome P450 enzymes were measured in pyloric caeca microsomes of the asteroid Coscinasterias muricata following exposure to sediment with nominal concentrations of 0, 0.1 or 2 ml crude oil kg −1 (dry weight) and subsequent depuration. No significant differences were observed in total cytochrome P450 levels or cytochrome P418 levels following the exposure period. However after five days of depuration, levels of total P450 in the pyloric caeca of C. muricata exposed to the highest oiled sediment concentration were significantly lower than in specimens exposed to the other treatments. Cytochrome P418 levels were inversely related to total P450 levels following exposure and subsequent depuration. Preliminary results show that levels of CYP1A-like immunopositive protein (CYP1A-like IPP) in exposed asteroids exhibited a concentration response relationship following the exposure period. Variations in CYP1A-like IPP levels observed during the depuration period may be influenced by the sublethal toxicity of hydrocarbons within the crude oil.

Assessment of organic pollutants in the offshore sediments of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Fifteen stations (st) were selected along Dubai coastal region to delineate the distribution and the source of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls. The concentrations of TPH fluctuated between 2 μg g −1 and 48018 μg g −1 and the values of TOC were in the range of 0.16–5.9 wt%, while TPAHs ranged from 0.09 μg g −1 to 161.72 μg g −1. On the other hand, TPCBs showed values between 0.8 μg kg−1 and 93.3 μg kg−1 and TKN values varied from 218 μg g−1 to 2457 μg g −1. Distribution of oil and organic compounds in Dubai sediments are safe compared with previous studies except for limited areas at the northeastern offshore. These readings are probably due to: (1) presence of commercial or industrial ports, dry docks and fishing harbours and (2) population centers mainly concentrated at the northern part of the study area. Results indicate that TOC can be used as indicator of oil pollution only in heavily oiled sediments. The highest values of TOC, TPH, TPAHs and TPCBs corresponded to the stations covered with fine sand, due to adsorption properties and larger surface area. The evaporation of low boiling point compounds from surface layers led to enrichment of sediments with the thick residual. Al-Hamriya St 3 exhibited the highest values of TPH, TOC, TPAHs and TPCBs and the second highest value of TKN.

PHYTOTECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO A SEVERELY OILED SHORELINE

ABSTRACT Northwest Indiana has been the home of oil refining since 1890. Historic practices of dumping waste oil into the ground, releases from aged and/or abandonned infrastructure, and reoiling from groundwater, and oil sediments have created a shoreline comprised of 15–35% oil. Conventional wisdom has been that oil can be neither bioremediated nor phytoremediated if the oil exceeds 8%. This three year study was conducted in both the green house and the field. Trees, grasses and tuberous plants were investigated to determine if any of them would grow, if they would stay alive and if they actually were able to degrade oil. The field study determined that plants could survive living in this environment, although certain cultivars as well as certain species performed much better than others. We chose the strongest cultivars and planted larger sections with them in the second year. We were able to show that biological activity in the soil was augmented by between 2–5 orders of magnitude. We were also able to show similar biological activity at the waters edge in the rhizosphere of native, naturally occuring tuberous plants. The green house portion of the study allowed us to compare the oil degradation rates of the different plants and trees. In the third year, we have a mixed planting to simulate a more natural habitat. This mixed planting scheme also seeks to use the most appropriate plants in order to treat the oil at multiple interfaces: the top foot of soil with grasses, the deeper soil and groundwater with trees, and the water's edge with tuberous plants. This approach, although more time-consuming, is substantially less expensive than tradiational means of oil removal. It provides habitat to the birds and animals already using the area. It rapidly creates a barrier of plant litter, and creates soil thereby buffering wildlife from casual oil contamination.

THE GULF WAR OIL SPILL TWELVE YEARS LATER: CONSEQUENCES OF ECO-TERRORISM

ABSTRACT The intentional release of an estimated 11 million barrels of oil during the 1991 Gulf War was the largest oil spill in history. An assessment of the physical, chemical, and ecological impacts of this spill shows that, 12 years later, oil residues and habitat modifications continue to have toxic effects on intertidal communities. As of 2003, there are an estimated 8 million cubic meters of oiled sediment remaining along the 803 km of impacted shoreline in Saudi Arabia. Of this volume, 45% occurs in muddy tidal flats and 23% in salt marshes and mangroves. Much of the oil in these sheltered habitats occurs as oiled crab burrows, with liquid oil remaining in the burrows to depths that exceed 50 cm. These habitats show the lowest degree of ecological recovery since the spill, with 87% of the upper intertidal zones of mangroves and marshes and 71 % of muddy tidal flats having reduced species richness and a disturbed community structure. Those habitats exposed to the greatest amount of wave activity contain the smallest amount of residual oil; however, on outer sand beaches, the oil is commonly buried to depths exceeding 1 m. The factors that affect the ecological recovery of the intertidal habitats include: 1) The chemical toxicity of the oil residues; 2) the physical toxicity of heavy and hardened oil residues; 3) other physical barriers that affect seed germination of plants, settlement of larvae, and burrowing; 4) limited sources for recruitment of biota; 5) reduced hydrological functioning of tidal channels. This study shows the importance of oil removal as the first phase of habitat recovery. It also indicates the potential for large-scale damage by blatant acts of eco-terrorism.

Industrial applications at the new cold neutron radiography and tomography facility of the HMI

The new cold neutron radiography and tomography facility at the Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin is suited for the investigation of components and materials from different industrial fields. The high-flux measuring position of the facility allows real-time imaging of fast dynamical processes. Cold neutrons interact stronger with the matter compared to thermal neutrons, which leads to a much better radiography contrast. Some examples of different industry applications like investigations on discharging of a Lithium battery or on oil sediments in a vent pipe are presented.

Effects of ferric hydroxide on the anaerobic biodegradation kinetics and toxicity of vegetable oil in freshwater sediments

Biodegradation of vegetable oil in freshwater sediments exhibits self-inhibitory characteristics when it occurs under methanogenic conditions but not under iron-reducing conditions. The basis of the protective effect of iron was investigated by comparing its effects on oil biodegradation rate and the toxicity of oil-amended sediments to those of clay and calcium, which reduce the toxicity of oil-derived long-chain fatty acids by adsorption and precipitation, respectively. Kinetic parameters for an integrated mixed-second-order model were estimated by nonlinear regression using cumulative methane production as the response variable and used to compare the effects of the three treatment factors on the rate of oil biodegradation. Ferric hydroxide was the only factor that significantly (P<0.05) increased the rate of methane production from canola oil, whereas calcium significantly reduced the oil biodegradation rate. Measurement of sediment toxicity using the Microtox Solid-Phase Test showed that inhibitory products formed within 5 days of oil addition, but the sediment toxicity decreased over time as the extent of oil mineralization increased. None of the other amendments significantly reduced the toxicity of oil-containing sediments. Since ferric hydroxide stimulated the rate of oil biodegradation without affecting the toxicity of oiled sediments, it must operate through a mechanism that is different from those previously described for clay and calcium.

Avoidance of crude-oil contaminated sediment by the Australian seastar, Patiriella exigua (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

This study attempted to determine whether Patiriella exigua, an Australian seastar, could detect and/or avoid oiled sediment when given an equal choice of unoiled sediment. The sediment was spiked once to produce one of three concentrations of oiled sediment used in the test chambers versus unoiled sediment. Behavioral observations were repeated over a 32 day period to test the effects of aging the oiled sediment. Results show that Patiriella exigua was capable of detecting oiled sediment and/or an oiled environment. Seastars avoided oiled sediment, with significantly higher numbers choosing either to reside on the clean sediment ( p < 0.05) or to travel up the glass sides of the tanks ( p < 0.001). Avoidance of oiled sediment increased with increasing sediment oil concentrations. Aging the oiled sediment decreased the oil content of the sediment and increased the number of seastars able to inhabit it ( p < 0.001). A potential narcotic effect of exposure to oiled sediment was observed.

Pink Salmon Spawning Habitat is Recovering a Decade after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

AbstractIntertidal sediment surrounding many spawning streams for pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, was contaminated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Biochemical and egg‐dig evidence suggested that oil reduced the survival of pink salmon embryos for several years. Previous research also demonstrated that dissolved oil can be transferred to developing embryos from surrounding oiled sediment via drainage of interstitial water as a result of tidal cycling and hydraulic gradients. In this study, completed a decade after the spill, we sampled stream water for the presence of oil using passive membrane sampling devices, collected sediment and pink salmon eggs for hydrocarbon analysis, and examined alevins for induction of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A). Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) consistent with Exxon Valdez oil were present in the water of one of six heavily impacted streams; total PAH concentrations in the stream were greatest in the lower intertidal zone. Similarly distributed total PAHs in a second stream suggested possible contamination. Oil was not detected in the remaining four streams. Induction of CYP1A in pink salmon alevins from the two contaminated streams was lowest in water above mean high tide and increased downstream. Because our samples were all selected from heavily oiled streams, we infer that most pink salmon spawning habitat either has recovered or is recovering.

04/01565 Influence of predictive contamination to agricultural products due to dry and wet processes during an accidental release of radionuclides: Hwang, W. T. et al. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 2003, 30, (14), 1457–1471

Experimental oil spill studies were conducted to quantify the effectiveness of selected in-situ shoreline treatment options to accelerate natural oil removal processes on mixed-sediment (sand and pebble) shorelines. At each of three distinct shoreline sites, treatment test plots and control plots were established within a 40-, 80- and 143-m continuous stretch of oiled shoreline. A total of 5500 l of oil was deposited along a 3-m wide swath in the upper intertidal zone at each site. Approximately one week after oiling, a different treatment technique was applied to each plot. The treatment techniques were: sediment relocation (surf washing), mixing (tilling), bioremediation (fertilizer application), and bioremediation combined with mixing. One plot at each site was monitored for natural attenuation. The quantity of oil removed from the plots was measured six times up to 60 days post-treatment and then again one year later. Changes in the physical character of the beach, oil penetration, movement of oil to the subtidal environment, toxicity, and biodegradation were monitored over the 400-day period.The results verified quantitatively that relocation of oiled sediments significantly accelerated the rate of oil removal from the shoreline by more than one year. Microscopic observations and image analyses confirmed that the oil–mineral aggregate formation process was active and was increased by sediment relocation. Oil biodegradation occurred in this arctic environment, both in the oiled sediments and on the fine mineral particles removed from the sediment by natural physical processes. The biodegradation of oil in sediment was significantly stimulated by simple bioremediation protocols. Mixing (by tilling) did not clearly stimulate oil loss and natural recovery in the context of this experimental design. None of the treatment techniques elevated toxicity in the nearshore environment to unacceptable levels, nor did they result in consequential alongshore or nearshore oiling.

The influence of cyanobacteria on oil polluted intertidal soils at the Saudi Arabian Gulf shores

In 1991 the second Gulf War lead to the largest oil spill in human history. Over 770 km of coastline from southern Kuwait to Abu Ali Island (Saudi Arabia) were smothered with oil and tar, erasing most of the local plant and animal communities. In the following year cyanobacteria colonized most of the oil polluted shores. In the study area at the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast north of Jubail three different processes were observed that followed the extensive formation of cyanobacterial mats. The first one is desiccation, cracking, and peeling of the cyanobacterial mats, thereby removing the uppermost part of the oiled sediment. The second is the resettlement of burrowing macrofauna like crabs and benthic animals such as gastropods, which outcompete the cyanobacteria again. The third process is further extensive growth of cyanobacteria building thick laminated mats. These layers, completely seal the surface and hence produce an anaerobic milieu which inhibits oil degradation. As long as such cyanobacteria exist, they will prevent microbial oil degradation as well as any resettlement by macrofauna.

The use of toxicity bioassays to monitor the recovery of oiled wetland sediments.

Six toxicity assays were compared to determine their efficacy in assessing toxicity dynamics during a wetland bioremediation study. The toxicity bioassays used were the Microtox 100% elutriate test, Microtox Solid Phase Test (SPT), amphipod assay, P450 reporter gene system, Toxi-ChromoPad test and a Salmonella/microsome assay. Oiled sediments were analyzed for toxicity in the petroleum biostimulation experiment conducted along the San Jacinto River, near Houston (TX, USA). The bioassays were evaluated for their ability to measure acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, and the mutagenic potential of amended oiled plots as compared to oiled and unoiled control plots. Amendments were diammonium phosphate alone or in combination with potassium nitrate, which served as an alternate electron acceptor. With exception of the Toxi-ChromoPad and Salmonella tests, the bioassays exhibited a significant increase in toxicity after oil application. Microtox bioassays detected significant sediment toxicity up to 29 d after oil and amendment application. The Microtox solid phase test results correlated strongly with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of total target saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons. The amphipod assay detected initial toxicity with a decline to day 70, followed by a significant increase in toxicity on day 140 in plots receiving nutrient amendments, which may be in response to excessive nutrient application. Low levels of enzyme induction were observed with the P450 reporter gene system assay in all oiled sediments throughout the study, suggesting low but persistent levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Of the six tests, the two Microtox tests and the amphipod test showed the most potential in evaluating petroleum toxicity in wetland sediments.

Cleaning oiled shores: laboratory experiments testing the potential use of vegetable oil biodiesels

A series of laboratory experiments were carried out to test the potential of vegetable oil biodiesel for the cleaning of oiled shorelines. In batch experiments, biodiesel was shown to have a considerable capacity to dissolve crude oil, which appears to be dependent on the type of biodiesel used. Pure vegetable oil biodiesels (rapeseed and soybean) were significantly more effective in the cleanup of oiled sands (up to 96%) than recycled waste cooking oil biodiesel (70%). In microcosm and mesocosm experiments, oiled sediments were sprayed with biodiesel and subjected to simulated tides. Microcosm experiments revealed that, of those tested, the highest ratio of biodiesel to crude oil, had the highest effectiveness for cleaning fine sands, with ratios of 2:1 (biodiesel:crude oil) giving the best results. In the mesocosm experiments a ratio 1:1 of soybean biodiesel to crude oil removed 80% of the oil in cobbles and fine sands, 50% in coarse sand and 30% in gravel. Most of the oil was removed with the surface water, with only a small amount being flushed through the sediments. Particle size and pore size were important determinants in the cleanup and mobility of crude oil in the sediments in these static systems. It is expected that the biodiesel effectiveness should improve in the natural environment particularly in exposed beaches with strong wave action. However, more laboratory and field trials are required to confirm the operational use of biodiesel as a shoreline cleaner.

Bioremediation of Stranded Oil on an Arctic Shoreline

The application of slow-release and soluble fertilizers proved to be an effective and environmentally benign way of stimulating oil biodegradation on an Arctic shoreline. Fertilizer application to the surface of the beach delivered nutrients to the oiled sediment beneath the beach surface. There was no significant run-off of this fertilizer to either the nearshore water or to unfertilized plots, and there were no adverse toxicological effects of the fertilizer application. The fertilizer application was followed by an increase in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide evolution from the beach, increased microbial biomass, and significantly greater biodegradation of oil on the plots that had received fertilizer. The rate of oil biodegradation was approximately doubled over the course of a year by fertilizer applications in the first two months after the spill. Simple test kits proved adequate to monitor the fertilizer-application process in the field in a time frame that would allow the application process to be fine-tuned during treatment on a real spill. Simple test kits and portable instrumentation were useful in demonstrating the initial success of the bioremediation strategy.