Macrobenthic community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico one year after the Deepwater Horizon blowout

Washburn, Travis; Reuscher, Michael G.; Montagna, Paul A.; Cooksey, Cynthia; Hyland, Jeffrey L.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2017.06.001

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The increase of opportunistic nematodes is a well-known phenomenon in disturbed and polluted habitats [39,40,41]. Additionally, many sensitive macrofauna taxa disappeared at affected stations [42], wheras tolerant taxa, such as dorvilleid polychaetes of the genus Ophryotrocha, thrived [12]. Our findings corroborate previous studies that found similar patterns of injuries in deep-sea corals [43] and infauna associated with these corals [11] near the DWH spill site.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Some of the crude oil was floating in mid-water plumes [4], where it aggregated with marine snow and settled on the seafloor [5]. Three important offshore and deep-sea habitats were studied as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI): the pelagic realm [6,7], deep-sea corals [8,9], and the soft sediment benthos [10,11,12]. Each one of these habitats suffered from a loss of biodiversity caused by the smothering effects of oil as well as lethal and sublethal effects from a multitude of chemical compounds contained in crude oil [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most severe effects were found in the 24 km 2 zone immediately surrounding the wellhead, where peak TPH and PAH levels were compounded by high barium concentrations from drill cuttings [10]. One year after the spill the hydrocarbon contamination and damage to the benthic fauna persisted, but signs of a mild recovery were detected [12,19]. Four years after the spill there were indicators that meiofauna had recovered some, as the nematode to copepod ratio had decreased to background levels [20], but taxonomic richness was still significantly lower in the affected areas indicating no recovery from the primary damaging effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The expanded footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deep-sea benthos

2020

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The 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout off the coast of Louisiana caused the largest marine oil spill on record. Samples were collected 2-3 months after the Macondo well was capped to assess damage to macrofauna and meiofauna communities. An earlier analysis of 58 stations demonstrated severe and moderate damage to an area of 148 km 2. An additional 58 archived stations have been analyzed to enhance the resolution of that assessment and determine if impacts occurred further afield. Impacts included high levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the sediment, low diversity, low evenness, and low taxonomic richness of the infauna communities. High nematode to copepod ratios corroborated the severe disturbance of meiofauna communities. Additionally, barium levels near the wellhead were very high because of drilling activities prior to the accident. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to summarize oil spill impacts at stations near the Macondo well, and the benthic footprint of the DWH oil spill was estimated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) interpolation. An area of approximately 263 km 2 around the wellhead was affected, which is 78% higher than the original estimate. Particularly severe damages to benthic communities were found in an area of 58 km 2 , which is 142% higher than the original estimate. The addition of the new stations extended the area of the benthic footprint map to about twice as large as originally thought and improved the resolution of the spatial interpolation. In the future, increasing the spatial extent of sampling should be a top priority for designing assessment studies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The expanded footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deep-sea benthos

2020

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“…Experiments described here investigated the potential ability of such diatom blooms to transport oil to depth, with the goal of providing supporting data for models that predict the likelihood that such an event occurs during a specific oil spill. Sedimentation of oil with diatom blooms impacts the distribution pathways of spilled oil and may affect benthic habitats severely (Baguley et al 2015, Fisher et al 2016, Washburn et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussion Of Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporation of oil into diatom aggregates

Passow¹,

Sweet²,

Francis³

et al. 2019

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Rolling table experiments were conducted to investigate the incorporation of 2 types of dispersed oil into diatom aggregates. The goal was to provide specific input parameters for aggregation models that predict the transport of oil to depth via marine snow-sized aggregates (> 0.5 mm). The amount of oil incorporated into aggregates is a function of both aggregated biomass and dispersed oil concentration. The maximum carrying capacity of diatom aggregates for dispersed oil likely lies at ~40% of the aggregated organic carbon. These data allow estimates of the amount of oil routed via the aggregation pathway. Furthermore, the concentrations of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and the composition of EDTA-extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were tested as generally valid proxies for stickiness, which is a critical value in aggregation models. TEP and EDTA-extractable EPS were correlated with each other, but aggregation success was not readily predictable from these measurements. The large chemical heterogeneity of TEP and EPS likely obscures a generally valid relationship. Additionally, we found that, contrary to expectations, the sinking velocity of oil-containing aggregates was not decreased, but slightly increased compared to their non-oil-containing counterparts. Tighter packaging of cells due to the oil likely causes this effect. Sinking velocity is an important parameter in aggregation−sedimentation models, as it determines the time required for aggregates to reach the seafloor and thus the potential for flux attenuation. Transport of oil to the seafloor exposes benthic organisms, and those feeding on them, to substances that potentially have negative effects on organisms and ecosystems.

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“…Nine other papers, notably those by Camilli et al (2012), Deleo et al (2016), Galligan, Schwacke, Houser, et al (2018), Galligan, Schwacke, McFee, & Boggs, (2018), Kohno et al (2014), Kohno et al (2015), Paruk et al (2016), Toyota et al (2016), Washburn et al (2017), and Zhao et al (2015), listed in the Public Health category on the GoMRI website were found upon examination not to mention human or public health or have apparent direct relevance to human health. Nonetheless, Deleo et al and Washburn et al …”

Section: Studies Listed As Public Health But Not Directly Relevant Tomentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil Spills and Human Health: Contributions of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

et al. 2019

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The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was established in 2010 with $500 million in funding provided by British Petroleum over a 10-year period to support research on the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and recovery. Contributions of the GoMRI program to date focused on human health are presented in more than 32 peer-reviewed papers published between 2011 and May 2019. Primary findings from review of these papers are (i) the large quantity of dispersants used in the oil cleanup have been associated with human health concerns, including through obesogenicity, toxicity, and illnesses from aerosolization of the agents; (ii) oil contamination has been associated with potential for increases in harmful algal blooms and numbers of pathogenic Vibrio bacteria in oil-impacted waters; and (iii) members of Gulf communities who are heavily reliant upon natural resources for their livelihoods were found to be vulnerable to high levels of life disruptions and institutional distrust. Positive correlations include a finding that a high level of community attachment was beneficial for recovery. Actions taken to improve disaster response and reduce stress-associated health effects could lessen negative impacts of similar disasters in the future. Furthermore, GoMRI has supported annual conferences beginning in 2013 at which informative human health-related presentations have been made. Based on this review, it is recommended that the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 be updated to include enhanced funding for oil spill impacts to human health.

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Macrobenthic community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico one year after the Deepwater Horizon blowout

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

The expanded footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deep-sea benthos

The expanded footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deep-sea benthos

Incorporation of oil into diatom aggregates

Oil Spills and Human Health: Contributions of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

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