Oceanography The Official Magazine of
The Oceanography Society
Volume 24 Issue 03

View Issue TOC
Volume 24, No. 3
Pages 294 - 301

OpenAccess

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Review of the Planktonic Response

By Raffaela M. Abbriano, Magdalena M. Carranza, Shane L. Hogle, Rachel A. Levin, Amanda N. Netburn, Katherine L. Seto, Stephanie M. Snyder, and Peter J.S. Franks  
Jump to
Citation References Copyright & Usage
First Paragraph

On April 20, 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil rig resulted in the loss of 11 lives and the largest oil spill in US history (Graham et al., 2010) and perhaps the second largest in the world, after the first Gulf War Oil Spill from Kuwait. Over the 84 days following the explosion, an estimated 6.7 x 105 mT of Louisiana Sweet Crude oil (United States Government, 2011) and up to 500,000 mT of methane and gases (Joye et al., 2011) were released from 1,480 m below the ocean's surface into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). As oil continued to escape from the seafloor throughout the summer of 2010, images of oiled wildlife pervaded the news. These pictures, though troubling, only hinted at the fate of the plankton that form the foundation of the GoM ecosystem. This review discusses the potential effects of the DWH oil spill on the overlooked, but extremely important, members of the GoM ecosystem—the plankton. Our assessment is based on data collected in the aftermath of the DWH spill and supplemented with studies from past oil spills when information on the GoM spill was limited or unavailable. The time line we develop traces the spill from a "planktonic perspective," emphasizing the population dynamics of marine bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish larvae.

Citation

Abbriano, R.M., M.M. Carranza, S.L. Hogle, R.A. Levin, A.N. Netburn, K.L. Seto, S.M. Snyder, SIO280, and P.J.S. Franks. 2011. Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A review of the planktonic response. Oceanography 24(3):294–301, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2011.80.

References

Adcroft, A., R. Hallberg, J.P. Dunne, B.L. Samuels, J.A. Galt, C.H. Barker, and D. Payton. 2010. Simulations of underwater plumes of dissolved oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Geophysical Research Letters 37, L18605, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044689.

Bender, L.C., S.F. DiMarco, M.K. Howard, A.E. Jochens, M.C. Kennicutt II, J.W. Morse, and W.D. Nowlin. 2005. Understanding the Processes That Maintain the Oxygen Levels in the Deep Gulf of Mexico: Synthesis Report. Minerals Management Service access number 85080, 6 pp.

Billiard, S.M., K. Querbach, and P.V. Hodson. 1999. Toxicity of retene to early life stages of two freshwater fish species. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:2,070–2,077, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620180927.

Bruheim, P., H. Bredholt, and K. Eimhjellen. 1999. Effects of surfactant mixtures, including Corexit 9527, on bacterial oxidation of acetate and alkanes in crude oil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 65:1,658–1,661.

Camilli, R., C.M. Reddy, D. Yoerger, B.A.S. Van Mooy, M.V. Jakuba, J.C. Kinsey, C.P. McIntyre, S.P. Sylva and J.V. Maloney. 2010. Tracking hydrocarbon plume transport and biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon. Science 330:201–204, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1195223.

Carls, M.G., S.D. Rice, and J.E. Hose. 1999. Sensitivity of fish embryos to weathered crude oil. Part I. Low-level exposure during incubation causes malformations, genetic damage, and mortality in larval Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:481–493, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620180317.

Cleveland, C.J., M. Hogan, and P. Saundry. 2011. Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In Encyclopedia of Earth. C. Cleveland, ed., Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC. Available online at: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill (accessed July 25, 2011).

Considine, T., C. Jablonowski, B. Posner, and C. Bishop. 2004. Value of hurricane forecasts to oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Applied Meteorology 43:1,270–1,281, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2004)043<1270:TVOHFT>2.0.CO;2.

Couillard, C.M., K. Lee, B. Legare, and T.L. King. 2005. Effect of dispersant on the composition of the water-accommodated fraction of crude oil and its toxicity to larval marine fish. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24:1,496–1,504, https://doi.org/10.1897/04-267R.1.

Davenport, J. 1982. Oil and planktonic ecosystems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, Biological Sciences 297:369–384, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1982.0048.

Dutta, T., and S. Harayama. 2000. Fate of crude oil by the combination of photooxidation and biodegradation. Environmental Science and Technology 34:1,500–1,505, https://doi.org/10.1021/es991063o.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). 2011. General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico. Available online at: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/about/facts.html (accessed July 22, 2011).

Fucik, K.W., K.A. Carr, and B.J. Balcom. 1994. Dispersed Oil Toxicity Tests with Biological Species Indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico. OCS Study MMS 94-0021, 97 pp.

Garcia, J.M., L.Y. Wick, and H. Harms. 2001. Influence of the nonionic surfactant Brij 35 on the bioavailability of solid and sorbed dibenzofuran. Environmental Science and Technology 35:2,033–2,039, https://doi.org/10.1021/es001552k.

Gonzalez, J., F.G. Figueiras, M. Aranguren-Gassis, B.G. Crespo, E. Fernandez, X.A.G. Moran, and M. Nieto-Cid. 2009. Effect of a simulated oil spill on natural assemblages of marine phytoplankton enclosed in microcosms. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science 83:265–276, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2009.04.001.

Graham, W.M., R.H. Condon, R.H. Carmichael, I. D’Ambra, H.K. Patterson, L.J. Linn, and F.J. Hernandez Jr. 2010. Oil carbon entered the coastal planktonic food web during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Research Letters 5, 045301, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/5/4/045301.

Harrison, P.J., W.P. Cochlan, J.C. Acreman, T.R. Parsons, P.A. Thompson, and H.M. Dovey. 1986. The effects of crude oil and Corexit 9527 on marine phytoplankton in an experimental enclosure. Marine Environmental Research 18:93–109, https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-1136(86)90002-4.

Hazen, T.C., E.A. Dubinsky, T.Z. DeSantis, G.L. Andersen, Y.M. Piceno, N. Singh, J.K. Jansson, A. Probst, S.E. Borglin, J.L. Fortney, and others. 2010. Sea oil plume enriches indigenous oil-degrading bacteria. Science 330:204–207, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1195979.

Head, I.M., D. Jones, and W.M. Roling. 2006. Marine microorganisms make a meal of oil. Nature Reviews Microbiology 4:173–182, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1348.

Heintz, R.A., J.W. Short, and S.D. Rice. 1999. Sensitivity of fish embryos to weathered crude oil. Part II. Increased mortality of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) embryos incubating downstream from weathered Exxon Valdez crude oil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:494–503, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620180318.

Hsiao, S.I.C, D.W. Kittle, and M.G. Foy. 1978. Effects of crude oils and the oil dispersant Corexit on primary production of arctic marine phytoplankton and seaweed. Environmental Pollution 15:209–221, https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-9327(78)90066-6.

IEM (Innovative Emergency Management). 2010. A Study of the Economic Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Available online at: http://gnoinc.org/news-events/gno-inc-unveils-oil-spill-economic-impact-study (accessed July 22, 2011).

Johansson, S., U. Larsson, and P. Boehm. 1980. The Tsesis oil spill: Impact on the pelagic ecosystem. Marine Pollution Bulletin 11:284–293, https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-326X(80)90166-6.

Joye, S.B., I.R. MacDonald, I. Leifer, and V. Asper. 2011. Magnitude and oxidation potential of hydrocarbon gases released from the BP oil well blowout. Nature Geoscience, https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1067.

Kasai, Y., H. Kishira, and S. Harayama. 2002. Bacteria belonging to the genus Cycloclasticus play a primary role in the degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons released in a marine environment. Applied Environmental Microbiology 68:5,625–5,633, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.68.11.5625-5633.2002.

Kessler, J.D., D.L. Valentine, M.C. Redmond, M. Du, E.W. Chan, S.D. Mendes, E.W. Quiroz, C.J. Villanueva, S.S. Shusta, L.M. Werra, and others. 2011. A persistent oxygen anomaly reveals the fate of spilled methane in the deep Gulf of Mexico. Science 331:312–315, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199697.

Kujawinski, E.B., M.C.K. Soule, D.L. Valentine, A.K. Boysen, K. Longnecker, and M.C. Redmond. 2011. Fate of dispersants associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Science and Technology 45:1,298–1,306, https://doi.org/10.1021/es103838p.

Kvenvolden, K.A., and C.K. Cooper. 2003. Natural seepage of crude oil into the marine environment. Geo-Marine Letters 23:140–146, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-003-0135-0.

Lee, W.Y., and J.A.C. Nicol. 1977. The effects of the water-soluble fractions of No. 2 fuel oil on the survival and behaviour of coastal and oceanic zooplankton. Environmental Pollution 12:279–292, https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-9327(77)90022-2.

Llopiz, J.K., D.E. Richardson, A. Shiroza, S.L. Smith, and R.K. Cowen. 2010. Distinctions in the diets and distributions of larval tunas and the important role of appendicularians. Limnology and Oceanography 55:983–996, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2010.55.3.0983.

Middaugh, D.P., and D.D. Whiting. 1995. Responses of embryonic and larval inland silversides, Menidia beryllina, to No. 2 fuel oil and oil dispersants in seawater. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 29:535–539, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208385.

Muhling, B.A., J.T. Lamkin, and M.A. Roffer. 2010. Predicting the occurrence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Building a classification model from archival data. Fisheries Oceanography 19:526–539, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2419.2010.00562.x.

Mulkins-Phillips, G.J., and J.E. Stewart. 1974. Effect of four dispersants on biodegradation and growth of bacteria on crude oil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 28:547–552.

Nakagawa, Y., M. Eguchi, and S. Miyashita. 2007. Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, larvae utilize energy and nutrients of microbial loop. Aquaculture 267:83–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2007.02.024.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2010. Fish Stocks in the Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet. Available online at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/deepwater_horizon/Fish_economics_FACT_SHEET.pdf (accessed July 22, 2011).

National Research Council. 2003. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects. Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs Fates and Effects. The National Academies Press, 280 pp. Available online at: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084385 (accessed July 22, 2011).

National Research Council. 2005. Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects. Committee on Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects. 2005. The National Academies Press. Available online at: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11283 (accessed July 22, 2011).

Petersen, G.I., and P. Kristensen. 1998. Bioaccumulation of lipophilic substances in fish early life stages. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 17:1,385–1,395, https://doi.org/10.1897/1551-5028(1998)017<1385:BOLSIF>2.3.CO;2.

Seuront, L. 2010. Zooplankton avoidance behaviour as a response to point sources of hydrocarbon-contaminated water. Marine and Freshwater Research 61:263–270, https://doi.org/10.1071/MF09055.

Singer, M.M., S. George, S. Jacobson, I. Lee, R.S. Tjeerdema, and M.L. Sowby. 1994. Comparative effects of oil dispersants to the early life stages of topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) and kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 13:649–655, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620130415.

Singer, M.M., D.L. Smalheer, and R.S. Tjeerdema. 1991. Effects of spiked exposure to an oil dispersant on the early life stages of four marine species. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 10:1,367–1,374, https://doi.org/10.1897/1552-8618(1991)10[1367:EOSETA]2.0.CO;2.

Suchanek, T.H. 1993. Oil impacts on marine invertebrate populations and communities. American Zoologist 33:510–523, https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/33.6.510.

Teal, J.M., and R.W. Howarth. 1984. Oil spill studies: A review of ecological effects. Environmental Management 8:27–44, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867871.

Teo, S.L.H., A.M. Boustany, and B.A. Block. 2007. Oceanographic preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds. Marine Biology 152:1,105–1,119, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-007-0758-1.

Trevors, J.T., and M.H. Saier. 2010. The legacy of oil spills. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 211:1–3, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0527-5.

United States Government. 2011. One Year Later Press Pack. Available online at: http://www.restorethegulf.gov/release/2011/04/10/one-year-later-press-pack (accessed July 25, 2011).

Valentine, D.L., J.D. Kessler, M.C. Redmond, S.D. Mendes, M.B. Heintz, C. Farwell, L. Hu, F.S. Kinnaman, S. Yvon-Lewis, M. Du, and others. 2010. Propane respiration jump-starts microbial response to a deep oil spill. Science 330:208–211, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1196830.

Varela, M., A. Bode, J. Lorenzo, M.T. Álvarez-Ossorio, A. Miranda, T. Patrocinio, R. Anadón, L. Viesca, N. Rodríguez, L. Valdéz, and others. 2006. The effect of the “Prestige” oil spill on the plankton of the N-NW Spanish coast. Marine Pollution Bulletin 53:272–286, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.10.005.

Venosa, A.D., and E.L. Holder. 2007. Biodegradability of dispersed crude oil at two different temperatures. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54:545–553, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.12.013.

Wolfe, M.F., J.A. Schlosser, G.J.B. Schwartz, S. Singaram, E.E. Mielbrecht, R.S. Tjeerdema, and M.L. Sowby. 1998. Influence of dispersants on the bioavailability and trophic transfer of petroleum hydrocarbons to primary levels of a marine food chain. Aquatic Toxicology 42:211–227, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-445X(97)00096-9.

Copyright & Usage

This is an open access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format as long as users cite the materials appropriately, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate the changes that were made to the original content. Images, animations, videos, or other third-party material used in articles are included in the Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If the material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission directly from the license holder to reproduce the material.