{"627011":{"#nid":"627011","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Studies Shows Beach Environment Enhanced Oil Degradation, But Still May Take 30 Years","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor\u0026#39;s Note: This story by Nilde Maggie Dannreuther\u0026nbsp;was originally published on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gulfresearchinitiative.org\/studies-shows-beach-environment-enhanced-oil-degradation-but-still-may-take-30-years\/\u0022\u003EOct. 1, 2019, by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E. It is reposted here with permission.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at Florida State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology analyzed degradation processes of oil that was deposited along Gulf of Mexico beaches following\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDeepwater Horizon\u003C\/em\u003E. They found that small millimeter-size oil particles and thin oil films that coated sand grains disappeared within a year, facilitated by the large surface-to-volume ratio of the small particles and films that allowed space for microbial colonization and biodegradation. In contrast, the degradation of golf-ball sized sediment-oil-agglomerates (SOAs or tarballs) with a smaller surface-to-volume ratio is a lengthier process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing a novel in-situ experimental setup, the researchers followed the degradation of buried SOAs for three years and, based on decay rates, estimated that the SOA decomposition would take about 30 years. The degradation of the same SOAs kept in a dark lab environment would take approximately 100 years, highlighting the key role of the beach environment and its microbial community in the oil degradation process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers published their findings in two studies, one in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMarine Pollution Bulletin\u003C\/em\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0025326X17309037\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Degradation of Deepwater Horizon oil buried in a Florida beach influenced by tidal pumping\u0022\u003EDegradation of\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDeepwater Horizon\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;oil buried in a Florida beach influenced by tidal pumping\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and one in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EScientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-019-46301-w\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Decomposition of sediment-oil-agglomerates in a Gulf of Mexico sandy beach\u0022\u003EDecomposition of sediment-oil-agglomerates in a Gulf of Mexico sandy beach\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOil associated with\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDeepwater Horizon\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;reached the Florida panhandle sandy beaches of the Florida panhandle on June 22, 2010. Waves generated by the distant passage of Hurricane Alex, deposited oil mousse high onto the beaches and strong winds blew an oily sea spray across the beach, coating the sands with oil.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMixing of oil and sand in the swash zone produced large SOAs that were buried in the beach. The deposition of oil continued, and by the end of July, sands in the upper 70 cm of the beach were stained brown and veined by dark compacted layers of SOAs. Questions arose about the length of time that this oil would persist in Florida beaches.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo assess the degradation of the oil particles and oil films coating the sands, the teams of Markus Huettel and Joel Kostka quantified concentration changes of aliphatic and aromatic oil components; assessed microbial communities\u0026rsquo; abundance, composition, and succession; and determined the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide from June 2010-July 2011. To assess oil degradation in buried SOAs, the team conducted an in-situ experiment from October 2010-December 2013 using golf-ball size standardized SOAs that were embedded in the beach. They compared oil decomposition in buried SOAs to laboratory-incubated SOA material to determine the beach environment\u0026rsquo;s contribution to oil degradation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudy author\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=124\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Markus Huettel\u0022\u003EMarkus Huettel\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;explained the method for their in-situ experiment, \u0026ldquo;We combined and homogenized\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDeepwater Horizon\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;SOAs that we collected at Pensacola Beach one week after the oil came to shore and filled the resulting SOA material in 100 golf-ball-size stainless steel teaballs. Five pairs of such standardized SOAs were attached to a vertical PVC pipe and buried in the beach, positioned at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 cm sediment depth, respectively. The ten arrays were removed from the beach one at a time over a period of 3 years. Using this method, we could follow the degradation of the SOAs at different sediment depths over time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuettel emphasized the role of beaches as biocatalytical filters at the land-ocean interface, \u0026ldquo;Microbial degradation activities typically are most efficient when oxygen and warm temperatures are present, and this was supported by the tidal groundwater table oscillations in the beach. When the ebb tide sets in, the groundwater level in the beach drops, drawing air into the highly permeable beach sand. This \u0026lsquo;beach inhaling\u0026rsquo; carries oxygen and heat into the sand, boosting the biodegradation activities within the beach. The rising groundwater table of the following flood acts like a piston pump, pushing air enriched in carbon dioxide out of the beach and moisture from deeper sands into the upper drier beach layers. This \u0026lsquo;beach exhaling\u0026rsquo; is beneficial for the decomposition processes in the beach as gases resulting from the oil decomposition can reduce aerobic microbial degradation processes, and microbes need moisture to \u0026lsquo;drink.\u0026rsquo; The beach, breathing in tidal rhythm, thus has similarities to an organism that aerobically \u0026lsquo;digests\u0026rsquo; the buried oil, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. After most oil had been decomposed, the microbial community of the beach reversed to a community typical to an unpolluted beach environment.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EData for the study published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMarine Pollution Bulletin\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;are archived at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) under BioProject ID PRJNA294056 and publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information \u0026amp; Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0012\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7765CV9\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7765CV9\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0006\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7XW4HBZ\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7XW4HBZ\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0011\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7BZ64J8\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7BZ64J8\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0013\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N73J3BGD\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N73J3BGD\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/Y1.x058.000:0001\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7PZ56VV\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7PZ56VV\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0008\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7PG1Q83\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7PG1Q83\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0007\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7T72FZZ\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7T72FZZ\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R4.x267.000:0098\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N78C9TSB\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N78C9TSB\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0009\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/N7MG7N1S\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/N7MG7N1S\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EData for the study published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EScientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;are publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information \u0026amp; Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0016\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-wjj4-dq16\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-wjj4-dq16\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0015\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-jjcn-y650\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-jjcn-y650\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0019\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-r0ca-f740\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-r0ca-f740\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0020\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-kzth-6056\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-kzth-6056\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0018\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-jgbx-p395\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-jgbx-p395\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/data.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/data\/R5.x278.000:0017\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022DOI 10.7266\/n7-kavs-t279\u0022\u003EDOI 10.7266\/n7-kavs-t279\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMarine Pollution Bulletin\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;study\u0026rsquo;s authors are\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=124\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Markus Huettel\u0022\u003EMarkus Huettel\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1534\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Will A. Overholt\u0022\u003EWill A. Overholt\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=552\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Joel E. Kostka\u0022\u003EJoel E. Kostka\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1959\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Christopher Hagan\u0022\u003EChristopher Hagan\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1022\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022John Kaba\u0022\u003EJohn Kaba\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1060\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Wm. Brian Wells\u0022\u003EWm. Brian Wells\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1154\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Stacia Dudley\u0022\u003EStacia Dudley\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EScientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;study\u0026rsquo;s authors are\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=4044\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Ioana Bociu\u0022\u003EIoana Bociu\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=2082\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Boryoung Shin\u0022\u003EBoryoung Shin\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=1060\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Wm. Brian Wells\u0022\u003EWm. Brian Wells\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=552\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Joel E. Kostka\u0022\u003EJoel E. Kostka\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=3799\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis\u0022\u003EKonstantinos T. Konstantinidis\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gulfresearchinitiative.org\/gomri-funded-researchers\/person\/?pid=124\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Markus Huettel\u0022\u003EMarkus Huettel\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"What happened to the oil particles and thin films after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAfter the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, small particles and thin oil films that coated sand grains disappeared within a year, facilitated by the large surface-to-volume ratio of the small particles and films that allowed space for microbial colonization and biodegradation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"After the Deepwater Horizon spill, small oil particles and films disappeared quickly, but larger pieces took a longer time. "}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-10-02 14:43:41","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627012":{"id":"627012","type":"image","title":"Oil contamination in Pensacola Beach, Florida (Photos by Markus Huettel)","body":null,"created":"1570027613","gmt_created":"2019-10-02 14:46:53","changed":"1570027645","gmt_changed":"2019-10-02 14:47:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238739","name":"Huettel_Beach-Pictures.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Huettel_Beach-Pictures.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Huettel_Beach-Pictures.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":174487,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Huettel_Beach-Pictures.jpg?itok=zIDABz33"}},"627016":{"id":"627016","type":"image","title":"Joel Kostka","body":null,"created":"1570032696","gmt_created":"2019-10-02 16:11:36","changed":"1570032696","gmt_changed":"2019-10-02 16:11:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238741","name":"2019 Joel Kostka.4x5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Joel%20Kostka.4x5.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Joel%20Kostka.4x5.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":979512,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2019%20Joel%20Kostka.4x5.jpg?itok=aXG_GXol"}}},"media_ids":["627012","627016"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/526971","title":"A Key Role for Microbes in Oil Spills"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"}],"keywords":[{"id":"182524","name":"Deepwater Horizon oil spill; Kostka research on Deepwater Horizon oil spill"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D. - Director of Communications - College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}