scholarly journals Tropical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems [TROPICS]: A 32-year Review of Response and Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Abigail Renegar ◽  
Paul Schuler ◽  
Nicholas Turner ◽  
Richard Dodge ◽  
Anthony Knap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Coastal Systems ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Nearshore Environments ◽  
Comparative Risk

ABSTRACT In 1984, the Tropical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems (TROPICS) experiment began in Bahia Almirante on the Caribbean coast of Panama. This study sought to compare the impacts of a severe, but realistic spill of untreated crude oil versus chemically treated (dispersed) crude oil on tropical marine reef, sea-grass, and mangrove ecosystems. The aim of the study was to identify and evaluate the environmental trade-offs of dispersant use in tropical marine and subtidal systems. As a result of continuing research at the site, the study became one of the most comprehensive field experiments examining the long-term impacts of oil and dispersed oil exposures in nearshore tropical communities. Consequently, TROPICS has been the foundational and seminal field study which served as the historical antecedent for Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA), as well as the basis for follow-on Spill Impact Mitigation Analysis (SIMA) and Comparative Risk Analysis (CRA) for oil spill planning, preparation, and response. From the initial experiment in 1984, through three decades of study and data collection visits, the coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove communities have exhibited significantly different damage and recovery regimes, depending on whether the sites were exposed to non-treated crude oil or dispersed crude oil. While this study does not definitively determine whether or not dispersants should be applied in tropical nearshore environments, it is illustrative of the environmental and ecosystem trade-offs between surface oil impacts to the shoreline, compared to water column exposure from chemically dispersed oil. This paper provides an overview of the results and observations reported in numerous previous TROPICS publications, as a progression of damage and recovery over time. With this perspective, planners and responders can use this study to predict what damages/recoveries may be expected from an oil spill incident in this environment. The results of the TROPICS experiment are examined within the context of this recent parallel research from the perspective of ongoing implications for oil spill preparedness and response.

TROPICS FIELD STUDY (PANAMA), 32-YEAR SITE VISIT: OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS FOR NEAR SHORE DISPERSANT USE NEBA AND TRADEOFFS

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 3030-3050 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Abigail Renegar ◽  
Paul Schuler ◽  
Nicholas Turner ◽  
Richard Dodge ◽  
Bernhard Riegl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Technology ◽  
Near Shore

ABSTRACT (#2017-141) The Tropical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems (TROPICS) experiment initiated in 1984 on the Caribbean coast of Panama has become one of the most comprehensive field experiments examining effects of oil exposure to a combination of tropical marine reef, seagrass, and mangrove communities. The experimental dosage was chosen to simulate a severe but realistic spill scenario so that results could be useful in decisions about the extent to which dispersants reduced or exacerbated the effects of an oil spill on tropical environments of mangroves, seagrasses, and corals. Research has been conducted in the area prior to and 30+ years following exposure to evaluate long term effects. In July 2016, an international research team revisited the TROPICS field sites. In previous data collection visits, visual observations and core samples of the mangrove substrate at the non-treated (Oil only) site revealed the presence of oil. This “trapped” oil also apparently resulted in lower recovery rates for mangroves in that site. Of particular interest in the 2016 revisit was to determine the presence/non-presence of oil in core samples via new petroleum biomarker triple quadrupole mass spectrometry technology. Additionally, data collection and observations of the extent, diversity, and health of the shallow coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves were conducted at the three sites. The focus was on the initial disruption and recovery of the study ecosystem over 32 years from the original dosing with crude oil or dispersed crude oil. Analysis qualitatively compared the 2016 results to 1984 pre-spill and post-spill conditions of each site. This paper discusses the results of the 2016 TROPICS study site revisit and conclusions for oil spill preparedness and response, particularly as it applies to the trade-offs for the use of dispersants in near shore tropical marine ecosystems.

TROPICS: 30-year Follow-up and Analysis of Mangroves, Invertebrates, and Hydrocarbons

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 1734-1748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Baca ◽  
Eric Rosch ◽  
Erik D. DeMicco ◽  
Paul A. Schuler
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Reference Site ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Baseline Levels ◽  
Prudhoe Bay

ABSTRACT TROPICS (TRopical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems) has been the seminal study on trade-offs for Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) for dispersant use in tropical ecosystems. The study began in 1983/84 with the identification of suitable tropical island sites in Bahia Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama that contained mangrove, seagrass and coral habitats in close enough proximity to establish three 30m X 30m test sites. Controlled releases of Prudhoe Bay crude oil (dosed at 1L/m2) and Prudhoe Bay crude oil pre-dispersed with Corexit 9527 (to maintain 50 ppm water soluble fraction), were introduced into the Non- dispersed oil (Site O) and the Dispersed oil (Site D) sites, respectively, for 48 hours. A nearby Reference site (Site R) was not treated with oil/dispersed oil. Treatments were designed to simulate a realistic oil spill in adjoining mangrove, seagrass, and coral habitats. Following exposure and removal of oil, sites were studied periodically over 30 years for relative effects of dispersed and non-dispersed oil in coral, seagrass, mangrove, and invertebrate populations, as well as hydrocarbon presence. Early research focused on short- and mid-term effects compared to the Reference site (R), while later work focused on long-term effects and ecosystem recovery. In general, researchers found that Site O exhibited more overall long-term ecosystem disruption than Site D, and that Site D had recovered quickly to Site R and baseline levels. In November 2013 (29 years after oil and dispersed oil exposure), the TROPICS sites were re-visited under a grant provided by Clean Caribbean & Americas. Researchers collected data on mangroves, mangrove invertebrates, and hydrocarbons. The density of mangrove trees at Site D had remained at Site R and baseline levels. Site O, which had experienced early die off of trees, followed by peak production at 10 years (far in excess of Site R and baseline levels), exhibited a decline dominated by small trees. Mangrove snails and oysters increased sharply at Site O after the spill, but declined over 10-20 years. Sites D and R maintained gradual invertebrate increases during this time. This paper focuses on research from the November 2013 visit and draws on previous observations and TROPICS papers on overall ecosystem disruption and recovery as it pertains to the NEBA for nearshore dispersant use in tropical marine ecosystems.

Continuing Long-Term Studies of the Tropics Panama Oil and Dispersed Oil Spill Sites

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg A. Ward ◽  
Bart Baca ◽  
Wendy Cyriacks ◽  
Richard E. Dodge ◽  
Anthony Knap
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Bocas Del Toro ◽  
The Past ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Present Information ◽  
The Tropics

ABSTRACT The TROPICS (Tropical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems) oil spill experiment was conducted on the Caribbean coast of Panama, near Bocas del Toro. In November 1984, crude and dispersed crude oil were released in two separate boom-enclosed areas representative of intertidal mangrove and subtidal seagrass/coral ecosystems. The present information is based on site visits over the past two years, including 2002. Following the degradation of oil over the past 18 years, sheen identified from the spilled oil in 1994 is still visible in non-dispersed Oil Site sediments. In mangroves, previously denuded areas exposed to crude oil are currently occupied by new seedlings and saplings, which are growing rapidly but with morphological prop-root deformations. Tree mortality occurred in both the Dispersed Oil and Reference Sites, but was non-localized and appeared as natural mortality in aged trees. Recent data have revealed an invasion of seagrass beds by finger coral at the Oil Site. Since treatment, percent coverage of corals at this site has grown from a pretreatment value of 33.5% in March 1984 to 67.5% in June 2001.

NET ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT ANALYSIS (NEBA) OF DISPERSED OIL ON NEARSHORE TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS DERIVED FROM THE 20 YEAR “TROPICS” FIELD STUDY1

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 453-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Baca ◽  
Greg A. Ward ◽  
Christine H. Lane ◽  
Paul A. Schuler
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Tropical Ecosystems ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Prudhoe Bay

ABSTRACT In November 1984, non-treated Prudhoe Bay crude oil and dispersed Prudhoe Bay crude oil were intentionally released into two separate sites, representative of near shore mangrove, seagrass and coral ecosystems, as part of the TRopical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems (TROPICS) field study in Bahia de Almirante, Panama. Data on the relative effects of non-treated crude oil and dispersed crude oil on these ecosystems (compared to a reference site) were acquired and analyzed over various periods (30 days, 3 months, and 2.6, 10, 17, 18, and 20 years). In the short term, the oil caused mortality to invertebrate fauna, seagrass beds, and corals at both sites. At the non-treated crude oil site, there was also significant mortality to the mangrove forest. Twenty-year observations and mangrove substrate core samples reveal the continued presence of oil and diminished mangrove repopulation, as well as substrate erosion, at the non-treated crude oil site. No oil was detected and no long-term impacts were observed at the dispersed crude oil and reference sites. These results provide baseline scientific data for developing a Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) of dispersant use in nearshore tropical systems. This paper is a review of TROPICS data and its application to NEBA preparation. Data and NEBA from the 20-year TROPICS study clearly show that the use of dispersant in the near shore environment is a sound strategy for both minimizing environmental damage to tropical ecosystems and for providing the best opportunity for recovery and repopulation in this environment. Results of this work should be applicable to similar tropical ecosystems.

Learnings from the Texas Nearshore Dispersant Demonstration Project

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-345
Author(s):  
Don Aurand ◽  
James Clark ◽  
Robin Jamail
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Mechanical Response ◽  
Demonstration Project ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
Corpus Christi ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Training Exercises

ABSTRACT This project defines circumstances where a dispersant demonstration might be considered for an estuarine oil spill in Texas. In seeking approval for a spill of opportunity demonstration project, we developed criteria defining a viable dispersant response for consideration by the Region VI Regional Response Team. This paper presents the criteria and their rationale developed for Galveston Bay and Corpus Christi Bay, along with the results of recent training exercises. The criteria define the size and general location of an oil spill that might be considered appropriate for a trial dispersant application, and implementation of response and monitoring within a 2-hour window from notification. They are based on descriptions and characterizations of the habitats and species at risk in coastal areas, concentration and duration of dispersed oil plumes that might be generated in a response, potential impacts of these exposures, and the environmental trade-off between implementing mechanical response and a dispersant response. Because the dilution potential is constrained in shallow water environments, spill size has significant impact on the magnitude and duration of potential exposure regimes for water column organisms. Spills of 250 bbls or less pose minimal concern for water column communities with potential net benefit to other coastal resources. The trade-offs were not so obvious for larger spills. The exposure regimes and potential impacts for water-column organisms that would be maximally exposed during a dispersant operation were compared to the exposures and potential impacts for organisms and habitats exposed to floating oil and oil stranded on shorelines, at levels that could result during a mechanical recovery operation. These potential impacts are compared on a spatial and temporal basis, and with consideration for potential rates of recovery.

scholarly journals Oil spill detection in the east of Sri Lanka with Sentinel-1 SAR

2020 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 02013
Author(s):  
W. Kamal M. Mahindapala
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Optical Sensors ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
Oil Tanker

In September 2020, two major fires broke out in a large crude oil tanker in Sri Lanka’s maritime zones. An island with a vast sea area in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, is prone to vessel sourced pollution. Crude oil can have a damaging impact on the environment, and therefore tracking the spill in the water is essential. Spaceborne sensors support monitoring oil pollution; however, optical sensors need clear skies for observation. The detection of pollution caused by vessels; in Sri Lanka’s maritime zones has previously been investigated by the author. This study examines the data collected by the Sentinel-1 satellite, whose sensing corresponds to the oil spill event, manually and using algorithms to detect the presence of oil spills. Two detected oil spill areas were measured to be 0.6 km and 1.4 km long. Further, in this study, the SAR sensor’s vertical signal transmission and reception mode produced acceptable results in detecting the spills and the vessel. Sentinel-1 SAR data is essential, in this case, to detect the presence of the oil spills and the vessels.

scholarly journals Metagenomics insight into microbial dynamics in field-scale remediation of crude oil-polluted soil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioma Blaise Chikere ◽  
Memory Tekere ◽  
Rasheed Adeleke
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Polluted Soil ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Microbial Dynamics ◽  
Naphthalene Degradation

Abstract Background: The frequency of crude oil pollution has been on the increase following increased exploration, exploitation and production of energy from fossil fuel. Bioremediation has been shown to be eco-friendly and cost-effective method of oil spill remediation. In the Niger Delta, Landfarming has been the most used technique. The aim of this research was to employ metagenomic techniques to understand microbial dynamics during field-scale remediation in the Niger Delta in order to improve and reduce the time of remediation. Results: The surface (0.0 – 0.5m) sample had an extractable TPH value of 6231 mg/kg. The subsurface samples from 1m, 1.5m and 2.0m depths had extractable TPH concentration of 4836 mg/kg, 9112 mg/kg and 7273 mk/kg respectively. Proteobacteria dominated the bacterial community of the oil-polluted soil and comprised mainly of the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Alpha diversity analysis revealed the presence of crude oil in the soil reduced microbial diversity. Principal coordinate analysis showed the microbial structure continually changed following changes in the chemical composition of the soil. Mycobacterium, Burkholderia, Methylobacterium and Bacillus were among the core OTUs detected during the period of remediation. Significant variation in pathway abundance particularly pathways for propanoate degradation, benzoate degradation, naphthalene degradation, fatty acid metabolism, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation and degradation of xenobiotics were observed when the unpolluted soil was compared to the samples obtained during remediation. Conclusions: The findings from this study will greatly advance an already preferred landfarming oil spill recovery technique in the Niger Delta.

scholarly journals Metagenomics insight into microbial dynamics in field-scale remediation of crude oil-polluted soil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioma Blaise Chikere ◽  
Memory Tekere ◽  
Rasheed Adeleke
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Microbial Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Profile ◽  
Naphthalene Degradation

Abstract Background: The frequency of crude oil pollution has been on the increase following increased exploration, exploitation and production of energy from fossil fuel. Bioremediation has been shown to be eco-friendly and cost-effective method of oil spill remediation. In the Niger Delta, Landfarming has been the most used technique. The aim of this research was to employ metagenomic techniques to understand microbial dynamics during field-scale remediation in the Niger Delta in order to improve and reduce the time of remediation. Results: The surface (0.0 – 0.5m) sample had an extractable TPH value of 6231 mg/kg. The subsurface samples from 1m, 1.5m and 2.0m depths had extractable TPH concentration of 4836 mg/kg, 9112 mg/kg and 7273 mk/kg respectively. Proteobacteria dominated the soil microbial profile in all the samples studied as it made up at least 50% of each sample and mostly comprised of the class Alphaproteobacteria with variation only on day 18 and 36 which was mostly dominated by the class Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. Alpha diversity analysis revealed the presence of crude oil in the soil reduced microbial diversity. Principal coordinate analysis showed the microbial structure continually changed following changes in the chemical composition of the soil. Mycobacterium, Burkholderia, Rhodoplanes, Methylobacterium and Bacillus were the core OTUs detected during the period of remediation. Significant variation in pathway abundance particularly pathways for propanoate degradation, benzoate degradation, naphthalene degradation, fatty acid metabolism, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation and degradation of xenobiotics were observed when the unpolluted soil was compared to the samples obtained during remediation. Conclusions: The findings from this study will greatly advance an already preferred landfarming oil spill recovery technique in the Niger Delta.

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