Abstract:

We sampled surface and deep-sea waters near the DWH site, amended with oil and incubated under different temperatures, nutrients, and initial microbial community. The data here is the residual total alkanes and PAHs in the different treatments after 5, 12, 30 and 50 days of incubation.

Suggested Citation:

Hernando Bacosa. 2016. Biodegradation of alkanes and PAHs in crude oil as affected by temperature, nutrients and initial bacterial community in deep and surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N70K26K4

Publications:

Liu, J., Bacosa, H. P., & Liu, Z. (2017). Potential Environmental Factors Affecting Oil-Degrading Bacterial Populations in Deep and Surface Waters of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.02131

Purpose:

This study aims to elucidate how the temperature, nutrient concentration, and initial microbiota affect the degradation of alkanes and PAHs in crude oil.

Data Parameters and Units:

total 16 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ug/L, total n-alkanes (ug/L). Results of two replicates for each temperature and their averages (ave) are included.

Methods:

Water from two depths- 2 m (SI) and 1537 m (BI) was used for the incubation experiments. 20 mL of filtered surface water (SW) or filtered bottom water (BW) was transferred into a series of 30 mL pre-combusted amber bottles using a sterilized graduated cylinder, and then the bottles were inoculated with either 2.5 mL unfiltered bottom water (BI) or 2.5 mL unfiltered surface water (SI) as inoculums. Incubation was done at 4C or 24C for 50 days. Crude oil was added to each bottle using a Hamilton microliter syringe made of glass and stainless steel, at a final concentration of ca. 200 mg/L. The residual oil was extracted and analyzed by GC-MS

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