| Title | Effects of nutrient and temperature on degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in sub- Antarctic coastal seawater |
| Author | Delille, D.; Pelletier, E.; Rodriguez- Blanco, A.; Ghiglione, J. |
| Author Affil | Delille, D., Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Université de Paris VI, Laboratorie ARAGO, Paris, France. Other: Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada |
| Source | Polar Biology, 32(10), p.1521-1528, . Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany. ISSN: 0722- 4060 |
| Publication Date | Oct. 2009 |
| Notes | In English. Based on Publisher- supplied data Ant. Acc. No: 87392. GeoRef Acc. No: 296827 |
| Index Terms | ecology; hydrocarbons; ocean environments; temperature; Indian Ocean Islands--Kerguelen Islands; biodegradation; Indian Ocean Islands; Kerguelen Islands; marine environment; nutrients; organic compounds; pollutants; subantarctic regions |
| Abstract | In an attempt to evaluate the potential of petroleum bioremediation at high latitudes environments, microcosm studies using Antarctic coastal seawater contaminated with diesel or crude oil were conducted in Kerguelen Archipelago. Microcosms were incubated at three different temperatures. During experiments, changes observed in microbial assemblages (total direct count, heterotrophic cultivable microorganisms and hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms) were generally similar for all incubation temperatures, but chemical data showed only some slight changes in biodegradation indices. The complete data set provided strong evidence of the presence of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in Antarctic seawater and their high potential for hydrocarbon bioremediation. The rate of oil degradation could be increased by the addition of a commercial fertilizer, but water temperature had little effects on biodegradation efficiency which is in conflict with the typical temperature-related assumption predicting 50% rate reduction when temperature is reduced by 10°C. Global warming of Antarctic seawater should not increase significantly the rate of oil biodegradation in these remote regions. |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00300-009-0652-z |
| Publication Type | journal article |
| Record ID | 64001901 |