Petroleum

Question 1

What causes MOSSFA?

Answer 1

the introduction of hydrocarbons and the subsequent stress this causes on the biology in the water column

Question 2

What is MOSSFA made of?

Answer 2

hydrocarbons, plankton, bacteria, and clay particles

Question 3

How fast does MOSSFA sink?

Answer 3

1-200 meters/day

Question 4

What effects does MOSSFA have on the seafloor?

Answer 4

Foram: 80-93% decrease in foram density, 33-40% decrease in diversity, changed the makeup of the ecosystem that allowed opportunistic species to ‘take over’
Microbe: disrupted community structure
Meiofauna: increased in density, decreased in diversity, and adopted an opportunistic community structure
Macrofauna: decreased in density, decreased in diversity, and adopted an opportunistic community structure
Megafauna: decreased in density, decreased in diversity, and adopted an opportunistic community structure
Coral: faced branch loss and mortality
Fish: altered livers and lesions

Question 5

How does compound specific isotope analysis with fingerprinting weathered oils work? And how did they use it in the DWH spill?

Answer 5

Most of the traditional oil that would be ‘fingerprinted’ had already degraded but the scientists still compared the delta C-13 values of the sedimentary oils & BP MC252 oil (a deep-sea source that is biodegraded, that has experienced physical-chemical processes and/or is linked to the use of dispersants at the wellhead)

Question 6

What was the spatial scale of the seafloor impacts from DWH?

Answer 6

MOSSFA covered up to 35,000 sq km

Question 7

How much oil is produced in the deep water of the GoM vs. shallow?

Answer 7

DWH (1500 m) - 775 million liters
IXTOC (56 m) - 525 million liters