Oil Spills Weathering

Abstract

Oil spills often generate a great deal of concern about their potential effects on environment. The environment that may be affected by spilled oil consists of several compartments: air, shoreline, sea surface, water column and sediments. Each of these compartments, except air, may contain a variety of different habitats, each with its own populations of species and individuals. Natural processes force spilled oils, or its chemical components, to be transferred from one environmental compartment to another.