The PI's request MRI RAPID funding to acquire a GCMS, solvent extractor and evaporator to aid in processing the massive number of samples they are collecting for an NSF OCE RAPID funded to investigate the fate of buried oil and its degradation rate in order to allow predictions of potential toxic effects originating from buried oil. They are currently running their samples on a shared instrument at the FSU Department of Chemistry. The sample load on that machine is already high and now many more samples need to be processed with oil research expanding at FSU. The analyses take a relatively long time and samples are already getting backlogged. With increasing number of researchers at FSU getting involved in the Gulf oils spill research the addition of another shared use GCMS will benefit numerous NSF funded oil spill projects.
Broader Impacts
The oil pollution presents a major threat to the Gulf beaches that may impact these environments over many years. Previous research indicates that buried oil can persist in beach sediments for decades, but no information presently is available on the degradation rates of the oil from this spill buried in Gulf beaches. Understanding the uptake, transport and degradation of oil in sandy Gulf beaches is prerequisite for assessing beach toxin release and thus impact on tourism and fishery industries. This instrumentation will enhance collaboration between Gulf institutions and departments at FSU, and provide training for students on a state of the art GC/MS system in a rapidly expanding field of research.
Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill was washed onto Gulf of Mexico beaches, where the oil posed a potential risk for human health and organisms living in this ecosystem. Scientists and students from Florida State University and Georgia Institute of Technology investigated the fate of the oil deposited in Gulf sandy beaches and its impact on the environment. A state of the art gas chromatography with mass spectrometer, supported by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program within NSF, facilitated the detailed analyses of the hydrocarbons contained in the buried oil. Buried tar layers were found to be hot spots of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, indicating intense aerobic microbial decomposition processes. These degradation processes significantly increase the number of oil-related hydrocarbon components contained in the oil layers, and some of these components, e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are potentially harmful to the environment. Over time, the oil as well as its degradation products moved deeper into the sediment, and the PAHs could move farther than the bulk of the oil hydrocarbons. Waves and rainwater cause pore water flows in the permeable sands that can move hydrocarbons within the sediment and flush small particulate or dissolved oil components out of the beach. Oil degradation products released from the sand revealed that permeable beach sediments can function as a source for crude oil decomposition products to coastal waters. First analyses, however, indicated that the amount of dissolved substances that were released from oil buried in the beach was very low, and it is expected that longer residence time of oil in beach sands will reduce the amount of dissolved materials that can be released. The detailed analysis of the composition and decomposition products of crude oil washed onto the shore after oil spills is critical for the evaluation of potential risks associated with this oil. Crude oil that is buried into the sediments may not be visible but still can be a source of hydrocarbons to the environment. This research provides information on the fate of the Deepwater Horizon Oil that polluted the beaches of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and produced quantitative information on the components that are released from the buried oil. This work thus helps to understand the environmental impact of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and to maintain the high ecological and economical value of the sandy Gulf beaches as a main tourist attraction and foraging and breeding area of a large number species.
