Chemical Composition of Macondo and Other Crude Oils and Compositional Alterations During Oil Spills

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“…Lighter fractions evaporated. Sunlight oxidized some carbon chains, and the emulsifying action of waves and wind began physically altering the oil (Overton et al, 2016).…”

“…The team isolates oil from a sample of soil or water and then runs the isolate through a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The outcome is a fingerprint that, like a crime scene, may or may not match up with the known sample's ratios (Overton et al, 2016).…”

“…Many of the immediate negative impacts associated with oil spills have to do with their physical properties: they physically suffocate plants and prevent proper oxygenation of the soil, increasing stress on plant roots. Its high-energy content encourages digestion and oxidation by microorganisms, often depleting water oxygen and further stressing plants and microorganisms (Overton et al, 2016).…”

Ten Years after Deepwater Horizon: Oil Spill's Impact on Louisiana's Salt Marshes

“…Lighter fractions evaporated. Sunlight oxidized some carbon chains, and the emulsifying action of waves and wind began physically altering the oil (Overton et al., 2016).…”

“…The team isolates oil from a sample of soil or water and then runs the isolate through a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC‐MS). The outcome is a fingerprint that, like a crime scene, may or may not match up with the known sample's ratios (Overton et al., 2016).…”