Molecular Legacy of the 1979 Ixtoc 1 Oil Spill in Deep-Sea Sediments of the Southern Gulf of Mexico

2019 ◽  
pp. 312-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara A. Lincoln ◽  
Jagoš R. Radović ◽  
Adolfo Gracia ◽  
Aprami Jaggi ◽  
Thomas B. P. Oldenburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Deep Sea Sediments ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico

scholarly journals Sediment accumulation rates and vertical mixing of deep-sea sediments derived from14C and 210Pb in the southern Gulf of Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 429 ◽  
pp. 106288
Author(s):  
Misael Díaz-Asencio ◽  
Juan Carlos Herguera ◽  
Patrick T. Schwing ◽  
Rebekka A. Larson ◽  
Gregg R. Brooks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Deep Sea Sediments ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico

scholarly journals Changes in the Bacterioplankton Community Structure from Southern Gulf of Mexico During a Simulated Crude Oil Spill at Mesocosm Scale

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia S. Valencia-Agami ◽  
Daniel Cerqueda-García ◽  
Sébastien Putzeys ◽  
María Magdalena Uribe-Flores ◽  
Norberto Ulises García-Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
P Value ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterioplankton Community ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico

The southern Gulf of Mexico (sGoM) is highly susceptible to receiving environmental impacts due to the recent increase in oil-related activities. In this study, we assessed the changes in the bacterioplankton community structure caused by a simulated oil spill at mesocosms scale. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis indicated that the initial bacterial community was mainly represented by Gamma-proteobacteria, Alpha-proteobacteria, Flavobacteriia, and Cyanobacteria. The hydrocarbon degradation activity, measured as the number of culturable hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (CHB) and by the copy number of the alkB gene, was relatively low at the beginning of the experiment. However, after four days, the hydrocarbonoclastic activity reached its maximum values and was accompanied by increases in the relative abundance of the well-known hydrocarbonoclastic Alteromonas. At the end of the experiment, the diversity was restored to similar values as those observed in the initial time, although the community structure and composition were clearly different, where Marivita, Pseudohongiella, and Oleibacter were detected to have differential abundances on days eight–14. These changes were related with total nitrogen (p value = 0.030 and r2 = 0.22) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (p value = 0.048 and r2 = 0.25), according to PERMANOVA. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the potential response of the bacterioplankton from sGoM to crude oil spills.

scholarly journals Records of plutonium isotopes in marine sediments from the southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A. Corcho Alvarado ◽  
Misael Diaz-Asenciuo ◽  
Stefan Röllin ◽  
Juan Carlos Herguera
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
Tropical Region ◽  
Deep Sea Sediments ◽  
Pu Isotopes ◽  
Upper Slope

Abstract Here we report on new data on plutonium (Pu) isotopes to elucidate activity concentrations, inventories, sources and their transport from the ocean surface to the sea floor from a collection of deep-sea sediment cores (depths ranging from 257 to 3739 m) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Sediment cores collected from the continental shelf and upper slope region of the GoM consistently showed 240Pu/239Pu ratios of 0.15 to 0.26 and Pu-inventories ranging from 15 to 35 Bq m− 2. Inventories and ratios are consistent with global fallout Pu for this tropical region. In the continental shelf and upper slope regions, higher particle concentrations close to the margins favor significant scavenging and removal of Pu from the water column; in contrast with the deep-sea cores that show low 240Pu/239Pu ratios (0.07–0.13) and a much lower Pu inventory (< 7 Bq m-2) implying a small fraction of the expected global fallout inventory has reached into the lower slopes and abyssal plain of the GoM. Low values and a progressive decrease of 240Pu/239Pu ratios and Pu inventories with increasing water depth have been previously reported for the GoM. The low Pu ratios indicate that Nevada tests fallout was an important source of Pu to deep-sea sediments, and that this source was likely more efficiently removed from the water column than global fallout Pu. Analysis of Pu isotopes in two sediment traps from the upper slope regions show 240Pu/239Pu ratios comparable to the ones observed in the global fallout. These results indicate that global fallout Pu is currently the main source of Pu in water column particles. Therefore, a significant fraction of global fallout Pu must still be present; either in a dissolved phase, or as biologically recycled material in the water column, or scavenged on the shelf and shelf break. Our results bring to light important questions on the application of Pu isotopes to establish sediment chronologies, since these radionuclides are shown to be tracers of bioturbation rather than accumulation processes in deep-sea sediments of the GoM, similar to previously reported results from excess 210Pb.

scholarly journals Extra-Heavy Crude Oil Degradation by Alternaria sp. Isolated from Deep-Sea Sediments of the Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6090
Author(s):  
Lucia Romero-Hernández ◽  
Patricia Velez ◽  
Itandehui Betanzo-Gutiérrez ◽  
María Dolores Camacho-López ◽  
Rafael Vázquez-Duhalt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sole Carbon Source ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heavy Crude Oil ◽  
Deep Sea Sediments ◽  
Alternaria Sp ◽  
Heavy Crude

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an important source of oil for the United States and Mexico. There has been growing interest, particularly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in characterizing the fungal diversity of the GoM and identifying isolates for use in the bioremediation of petroleum in the event of another spill. Most studies have focused on light crude oil bioremediation processes, while heavy crude oil (HCO) and extra-heavy crude oil (EHCO) have been largely ignored. In this work, we evaluated the ability of fungal isolates obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Mexican economic exclusive zone (EEZ) of the GoM to degrade HCO (16–20° API) and EHCO (7–10° API). Alternaria sp., Penicillium spp., and Stemphylium sp. grew with HCO as the sole carbon source. Remarkably, Alternaria sp. was the only isolate able to grow with EHCO as the sole carbon source, degrading up to 25.6% of the total EHCO and 91.3% of the aromatic fraction, as demonstrated by gas chromatography analysis of the saturate, aromatic, and polar fractions. These findings proved to be significant, identifying Alternaria sp. as one of the few fungi reported so far capable of degrading untreated EHCO and as a suitable candidate for bioremediation of EHCO in future studies.

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