Long Term Interactions of Microorganisms and Prudhoe Bay Crude Oil in Tundra Soils at Barrow, Alaska

• Main Authors: Alan Sexstone, Paula Gustin, Ronald M. Atlas
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canada; Arctic; Barrow; Prudhoe Bay; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.553.731; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic31-3-348.pdf

ABSTRACT. Oil was recovered from tundra soils two and seven years after spillage. Oil persisted in the upper soil layer. The depth of penetration appears to depend on soil moisture and drainage characteristics. Maximal penetration seems to occur within one year of spillage. Biodegradation of the oil was indicated by changes in the ratio of gas chromatographically resolved to unresolved components. Individual components appear to be preferentially degraded, but no evidence was found for signifcant preferential degradation of structural classes of hydrocarbons. Numbers of microorganisms were different in oil contaminated and reference soils generally showing continued enrichment, but in some soils showing inhibition of microbial populations. RfiSUMfi. Du petrole etait recupere des sols de toundras, deux et sept ans aprbs son ecoulement. Ce petrole se conservait dans la partie superieure du sol. La profondeur de penetration parait dependre du degre d’humidite du sol et des caractkristiques de drainage. La penetration maximale semble avoir lieu un an apres I’ecoulement. Des changements dans les rapports de gaz, analyses au chromatographe, a ceux qui ne le sont pas, ont montre la biodegradation du petrole. Certains composants apparaissent preferentiellement degrades mais on ne trouvait aucune evidence a une degradation preferentielle significative dans les “categroies moleculaires ” d’hydrocarbures. Dans les sols temoins, contamines au petrole, il y avait beaucoup de difference dans les micro-organismes- generalement il y avait un enrichissement continu mais dans certains sols, on observait des inhibitions de populations microbiennes. Traduit par Main de Vendigies, Aquitaine Co. of Canada Ltd.