The Influence of Salinity on Oil–Mineral Aggregate Formation

Particle Size Analysis of Dispersed Oil and Oil‐mineral Aggregates With an Automated Ultraviolet Epi‐fluorescence Microscopy System

“…Because of the intense fluorescence characteristics of aromatic hydrocarbons, UV epi-fluorescence illumination distinguishes between oil droplets and non-fluorescent particles. The fine structure of OMA formed as a result of oil and suspended sediments in shoreline and aquatic environments were characterized using combined phase contrast and UV epifluorescence microscopy [13,[20][21][22]. Ultraviolet epifluorescent microscopy has proved useful for characterizing the fine structure of oil-mineral aggregates.…”

Effects of salinity and clay type on oil–mineral aggregation

“…This natural mechanism contributes to dispersion of spilled oil because it enhances stability of oil droplets in the water column. More recently, it has been suggested that formation of oil mineral aggregates (OMA) may play a major role in the natural cleaning of oiled shorelines and may be the basis for the development of oil spill countermeasure technologies (Bragg, Prince, Harner, & Atlas, 1994;Bragg & Yang, 1993;, 1999J ez equel, Merlin, & Lee, 1999;Kepkay, Bugden, Lee, & Stoffyn-Egli, 2002;Khelifa, Stoffyn-Egli, Hill, & Lee, 2002, 2003a, 2003bLee et al, 2003, Lee, Lunel, Wood, Swannell, & Stoffyn-Egli, 1997Le Floch et al, 2002;Muschenheim & Lee, 2002;Omotoso, Munoz, & Mikula, 2002;Owens, 1999;, 1994Payne, Clayton, & Kirstein, 2003, 1989, 1999Wood, Lunel, Baily, Lee, & Stoffyn-Egli, 1997). Nevertheless, little is known about the influence of water salinity and clay type on OMA formation.…”

Marine Snow Sedimented Oil Released During the Deepwater Horizon Spill

“…Thus, the size or frequency of phytoplankton blooms, and their sedimentation, may have been elevated compared to non-spill years due to the DWH spill. Additionally, increased nutrient and clay concentrations due to freshwater input , as well as resulting salinity gradients, which are known to enhance the formation of particles (Le Floch et al, 2002;Wetz et al, 2009), may have further enhanced the sedimentation potential. Increased sedimentation rates of diatoms could explain the exceptional deposition rate of material in the six months following the spill .…”