Petroleum hydrocarbons in the coastal environment Chris Reddy Dept. of Marine Chemistry and...
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Transcript of Petroleum hydrocarbons in the coastal environment Chris Reddy Dept. of Marine Chemistry and...
Petroleum hydrocarbons in the coastal environment
Chris ReddyDept. of Marine Chemistry and
GeochemistryWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
Petroleum hydrocarbons
• Petroleum is the biologic and geologic product of the “cooking and squeezing” of organic matter.
• It is composed of many compounds that can have different chemical, physical, and biological properties.
• Easiest to class as either refined or crude.
Wide-cutgas oils
Residual oils
Boi
ling
rang
e °F
Residuum
Boiling range °C
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1000
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Straight-rungasoline Middle distillates
Gasolinefractions
Homeheatingoil
Lightgas oil
Diesel
Heavygas oil
Heavylubes
Lightlubes
Kerosine
Jetfuel
max m
in
normalalkanes
branchedalkanes
cycloalkanes
nitrogen,sulfur, andoxygen
Gasoline Kerosene Dieselfuel
Heavy gas oil
Lubricatingoil
Residuum
Boiling point °C
020 40 60 80 100
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40
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100 200 300 400 500 600
s
napthenoaromatics
aromatics
Percentageof moleculartypes
Oil in the coastal zone• Urban runofflarge input term “leaky faucet”,
mainly used crankcase oil from cars and trucks, relatively low acute toxicity, impacts urban areas.
• Oil spillssmaller input, but is a dramatic event that may be from a wide range of products, toxicity can vary, pristine areas are vulnerable.
• Natural oil seepslarge input for long times scales, crude oil with varying toxicity.
Why study the fate of oil?
• Excellent opportunity to observe how ecosystems react to anthropogenic perturbations.
• Use knowledge for “engineered” clean-ups.
• Societal issues (human and animal health)
• Oil Pollution Act of 1990
FloridaWild HarborSeptember 16, 1969Spilled 700,000 L of diesel fuel
Bouchard 65Winsor Cove October 9, 197441,000 to 140,000 L of diesel fuel
Historical Spills
Florida spill: Background
• On September 16, 1969, the barge Florida ran aground on rocks near West Falmouth, MA.
• Over ~650,000 liters of diesel fuel spilled into the water column.
• Storm winds from the southwest drove the oil into Wild Harbor.
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Concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs)(mg g-1 dry weight)
0 108642D
epth
(cm
)
Wild HarborAugust 2000
Florida spill (1969)
Burrowing depthMade plaster casts of burrows in areas of Wild Harbor and Great Sippewissett to compare burrow depths of oiled and non-oiled areas.
RESULTS: Burrowing depth
Oil Non-Oil
Wild Harbor Wild Harbor Great Sippewissett
Mean depth (cm) ± s.e.
6.4 ± 0.6 16.2 ± 0.6 13.7 ± 3.2
Significant difference between oil and non-oil areas in Wild Harbor (t-test, p < 0.001)
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Concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs)(mg g-1 dry weight)
0 108642D
epth
(cm
)
Wild HarborAugust 2000
Florida spill (1969)
Santa Barbara Oil Seeps
• Releases >20,000 liters of petroleum daily.
• Seepage has been occurring for thousands of years.
• Sheens and tar balls along the Santa Barbara coastline are constant reminders of this natural process.
• Excellent opportunity to study the fate of petroleum in the marine environment.
• My group started work at this site a few months ago.