Oceanography The Official Magazine of
The Oceanography Society
Volume 29 Issue 03

View Issue TOC
Volume 29, No. 3
Pages 174 - 181

OpenAccess

Impact of Oil Spills on Marine Life in the Gulf of Mexico: Effects on Plankton, Nekton, and Deep-Sea Benthos

By Edward J. Buskey , Helen K. White , and Andrew J. Esbaugh 
Jump to
Article Abstract Citation References Copyright & Usage
Article Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest accidental release of crude oil into the sea in history, and represents the most extensive use of chemical dispersants to treat an oil spill. Following the spill, extensive studies were conducted to determine the potential acute and sublethal toxic effects of crude oil and dispersants on a range of planktonic, nektonic, and benthic marine organisms. Organisms such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish were examined via controlled laboratory studies, while others, such as deep-sea benthic invertebrates, which are difficult to sample, maintain, and study in the laboratory, were assessed through field studies. Laboratory studies with marine fishes focused on the sublethal effects of oil and dispersants, and early life history stages were generally found to be more sensitive to these toxins than adults. Field studies in the vicinity of the DWH spill indicate a significant reduction in abundance and diversity of benthic meiofauna and macrofauna as well as visual damage to deep-sea corals. Overall, studies indicate that while the responses of various marine species to oil and dispersants are quite variable, a general picture is emerging that chemical dispersants may be more toxic to some marine organisms than previously thought, and that small oil droplets created by dispersant use and directly consumed by marine organisms are often more toxic than crude oil alone.

Citation

Buskey, E.J., H.K. White, and A.J. Esbaugh. 2016. Impact of oil spills on marine life in the Gulf of Mexico: Effects on plankton, nekton, and deep-sea benthos. Oceanography 29(3):174–181, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.81.

References

Albers, P.H., and M.L. Gay. 1982. Effects of a chemical dispersant and crude oil on breeding ducks. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 29:404−411, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01605603.

Almeda, R., S. Baca, C. Hyatt, and E.J. Buskey. 2014a. Ingestion and sublethal effects of physically and chemically dispersed crude oil on marine planktonic copepods. Ecotoxicology 23:988–1,003, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1242-6

Almeda, R., S. Bona, C.R. Foster, and E.J. Buskey. 2014b. Dispersant Corexit 9500A and chemically dispersed crude oil decreases the growth rates of meroplanktonic barnacle nauplii (Amphibalanus improvisus) and tornaria larvae (Schizocardium sp.). Marine Environmental Research 99:212–217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.06.007

Almeda, R., T. Connelly, and E.J. Buskey. 2014c. Novel insight into the role of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the fate of crude oil in the sea. Nature Scientific Reports 4, #7560, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07560.

Almeda, R., T.L. Connelly, and E.J. Buskey. 2015. How much crude oil can zooplankton ingest? Quantification of dispersed crude oil defecation by planktonic copepods. Environmental Pollution 208:645–654, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.envpol.2015.10.041.

Almeda, R., T. Harvey, T.L. Connelly, S. Baca, and E.J. Buskey. 2016. Influence of UVB radiation on the lethal and sublethal toxicity of dispersed crude oil to planktonic copepod nauplii. Chemosphere 152:446–458, https://doi.org/​10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.02.129.

Almeda, R., C. Hyatt, and E.J. Buskey. 2014d. Toxicity of dispersant Corexit 9500A and crude oil to marine microzooplankton. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 106:76–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.04.028.

Almeda, R., Z. Wambaugh, C. Chai, Z. Wang, Z. Liu, and E.J. Buskey. 2013a. Effects of crude oil exposure on bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and survival of adult and larval stages of gelatinous zooplankton. PLoS ONE 8(10):e74476, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074476.

Almeda, R., Z. Wambaugh, Z. Wang, C. Hyatt, Z. Liu, and E.J. Buskey. 2013b. Interactions between zooplankton and crude oil: Toxic effects and bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PLoS ONE 8(6):e67212, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067212.

Andrews, A.R., and G.D. Floodgate. 1974. Some observations on the interactions of marine protozoa and crude oil residues. Marine Biology 25:7–12, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00395102.

Banse, K. 1995. Zooplankton: Pivotal role in the control of ocean production. ICES Journal of Marine Science 52:265–277, https://doi.org/​10.1016/1054-3139(95)80043-3.

Barron, M.G., M.G. Carls, J.W. Short, and S.D. Rice. 2003. Photoenhanced toxicity of aqueous phase and chemically dispersed weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil to Pacific herring eggs and larvae. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22:650–660, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620220326.

Bentivegna, C.S., K.R. Cooper, G. Olson, E.A. Pena, D.R. Millemann, and R.J. Portier. 2015. Chemical and histological comparisons between Brevoortia sp. (menhaden) collected in fall 2010 from Barataria Bay, LA and Delaware Bay, NJ following the DeepWater Horizon oil spill. Marine Environmental Research 112:21–34, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.marenvres.2015.08.011.

Brewton, R.A., R. Fulford, and R.J. Griffitt. 2013. Gene expression and growth as indicators of effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A 76:1,198–1,209, https://doi.org/10.1080/​15287394.2013.848394.

Brown-Peterson, N.J., M. Krasnec, R. Takeshita, C.N. Ryan, K.J. Griffitt, C. Lay, G.D. Mayer, K.M. Bayha, W.E. Hawkins, I. Lipton, and others. 2015. A multiple endpoint analysis of the effects of chronic exposure to sediment contaminated with Deepwater Horizon oil on juvenile Southern flounder and their associated microbiomes. Aquatic Toxicology 165:197–209, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.aquatox.2015.06.001

Calbet, A. 2008. The trophic role of microzooplankton in marine systems. ICES Journal of Marine Science 65:325–331, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsn013.

Camilli, R., C. Reddy, D. Yoerger, B.V. Mooy, M. Jacuba, J. Kinsey, C. McIntyre, S. Slyva, and J. Maloney. 2010. Tracking hydrocarbon plume transport and biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon. Science 330:201–204, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1195223.

Castonguay, M., S. Plourde, D. Robert, J.A. Runge, and L. Fortier. 2008. Copepod production drives recruitment in a marine fish. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:1,528–1,531, https://doi.org/10.1139/F08-126.

Cohen, J.H., L.R. McCormick, and S.M. Burkhardt. 2014. Effects of dispersant and oil on survival and swimming activity in a marine copepod. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 92:381–387, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-013-1191-4.

Collier, T.K., B.F. Anulacion, M.R. Arkoosh, J.P. Dietrich, J.P. Incardona, L.L. Johnson, G.M. Ylitalo, and M.S. Myers. 2013. Effects on fish of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) and naphthenic acid exposures. Pp. 195–255 in Fish Physiology. A.P.F. Keith, B. Tierney, and J.B. Colin, eds, Academic Press.

Cowles, T.J., and J.F. Remillard. 1983. Effects of exposure to sublethal concentration of crude oil on the copepod Centropages hamatus: Part I. Feeding and egg production. Marine Biology 78:45–51, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392970.

Dalsoren, S.B., O. Enresen, I.S.A. Isaksen, G. Gravir, and E. Sorgard. 2007. Environmental impacts of the expected increase in sea transportation, with a particular focus on oil and gas scenarios for Norway and northwest Russia. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, D02310, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006927.

DeLeo, D.M., D.V. Ruiz-Ramos, I.B. Baums, and E.E. Cordes. 2016. Response of deep-water corals to oil and chemical dispersant exposure. Deep Sea Research Part II 129:137–147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.02.028.

Di Toro, D.M., J.A. McGrath, and W.A. Stubblefield. 2007. Predicting the toxicity of neat and weathered crude oil: Toxic potential and the toxicity of saturated mixtures. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 26(1):24–36, https://doi.org/​10.1897/06174R.1.

Esbaugh, A.J., E.M. Mager, J.D. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, T.L. Brown, B.L. French, T.L. Linbo, C. Lay, H. Forth, N.L. Scholz, and others. 2016. The effects of weathering and chemical dispersion on Deepwater Horizon crude oil toxicity to mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) early life stages. Science of the Total Environment 543:644–651, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.11.068.

Felder, D.L., B.P. Thoma, W.E. Schmidt, T. Sauvage, S.L. Self-Krayesky, A. Chistoserdov, H.D. Bracken-Grissom, and S. Fredericq. 2014. Seaweeds and decapod crustaceans on Gulf deep banks after the Macondo oil spill. BioScience 64:808–819, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu119.

Févre, J.L. 1979. On the hypothesis of a relationship between dinoflagellate blooms and the ‘Amoco Cadiz’ oil spill. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 59:525–528.

Fisher, C.R., A.W.J. Demopoulos, E.E. Cordes, I.B. Baums, H.K. White, and J.R. Bourque. 2014a. Coral communities as indicators of ecosystem-level impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill. BioScience 64:796–807, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu129.

Fisher, C.R., P.Y. Hsing, C.L. Kaiser, D.R Yoerger, H.H. Roberts, W.W. Shedd, E.E. Cordes, T.M. Shank, S.P. Berlet, M.G. Saunders, and others. 2014b. Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111:11,744–11,749, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1403492111.

Goodbody-Gringley, G., D.L. Wetzel, D. Gillon, E. Pulster, and A. Miller. 2013. Toxicity of Deepwater Horizon source oil and the chemical dispersant, Corexit 9500, to coral larvae. PLoS ONE 8:e45574, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045574.

Graham W.M.l, R.H. Condon, R.H. Carmichael, I. D’Ambra, H.K. Patterson, L.J. Linn, and J.J. Hernandez Jr. 2010. Oil carbon entered the coastal planktonic food web during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Research Letters 5:045301. 

Guzman del Proo, S.A., E.A. Chavez, F.M. Alatriste, S. Campa, and G. de la Cruz. 1986. The impact of the Ixtoc-1 oil spill on zooplankton. Journal of Plankton Research 8:557–581, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/8.3.557.

Gyllenburg, G. 1981. Ingestion and turnover of oil and petroleum hydrocarbons by two planktonic copepods in the Gulf of Finland. Acta Zoologica Fennica 18:225–228.

Hallare, A.V., K.J.A. Lasafin, and J.R. Magallanes. 2011. Shift in phytoplankton community structure in a tropical marine reserve before and after a major oil spill event. International Journal of Environmental Research 5:651–660.

Hastings, D.W., P.T. Schwing, G.R. Brooks, R.A. Larson, J.L. Morford, T. Roeder, K.A. Quinn, T. Bartlett, I.C. Romero, and D.J. Hollander. 2016. Changes in sediment redox conditions following the BP DWH blowout event. Deep Sea Research Part II 129:167–178, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.dsr2.2014.12.009.

Hemmer, M.J., M.G. Barron, and R.M. Greene. 2011. Comparative toxicity of eight oil dispersants, Louisiana sweet crude oil (LSC), and chemically dispersed LSC to two aquatic test species. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 30:2,244–2,252, https://doi.org/​10.1002/etc.619.

Hicken, C.E., T.L. Linbo, D.H. Baldwin, M.L. Willis, M.S. Myers, L. Holland, M. Larsen, M.S. Stekoll, S.D. Rice, T.K. Collier, and others. 2011. Sublethal exposure to crude oil during embryonic development alters cardiac morphology and reduces aerobic capacity in adult fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108:7,086–7,090, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019031108.

Hook, S., and H. Osborn. 2012. Comparison of toxicity and transcriptomic profiles in a diatom exposed to oil, dispersants, dispersed oil. Aquatic Toxicology 124–125:139–151, https://doi.org/​10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.08.005.

Hsing, P.-Y., B. Fu, E.A. Larcom, S.P. Berlet, T.M. Shank, A.F. Govindarajan, A.J. Lukasiewicz, P.M. Dixon, and C.R. Fisher. 2013. Evidence of lasting impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep Gulf of Mexico coral community. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 1:000012, https://doi.org/10.12952/journal.elementa.000012.

Incardona, J.P., K.D. Gardner, T.L. Linbo, T.L. Swarts, A.J. Esbaugh, E.M. Mager, J.D. Stieglitz, B.L. French, J.S. Labenia, C.A. Laetz, and others. 2014. Deepwater Horizon crude oil cardiotoxicity to the developing hearts of large predatory pelagic fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111(15):E1505–E1508, https://doi.org/​10.1073/pnas.1320950111.

Jiang, Z., Y. Huang, X. Xu, Y. Liao, and I. Shou. 2010. Advance in toxic effects of petroleum water accommodated fraction on marine plankton. Acta Ecologica Sinica 30:8–15, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.chnaes.2009.12.002.

Koshikawa, H., K.Q. Xu, Z.I. Liu, K. Kohata, M. Kawachi, H. Maki, M.Y. Zhu, and M. Watanabe. 2007. Effect of the water-soluble fraction of diesel oil on bacterial and primary production and the trophic transfer to mesozooplankton through a microbial food web in Yangtze estuary, China. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 71:68–80, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.ecss.2006.08.008.

Lee, R.F., M. Koster, G.A. Paffenhoffer. 2012. Ingestion and defecation of dispersed oil droplets by pelagic tunicates. Journal of Plankton Research 34:1,058–1,063, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbs065.

Liu, N., D. Xiong, H. Gao, W. Liu, W.M. Gong, and K. Liu. 2006. Study on acute toxicity of three fuel oils to marine Chlorella. Marine Environmental Science 25:29–32.

Liu, Y., and E.B. Kujawinski. 2015. Chemical composition and potential environmental impacts of water-soluble polar crude oil components inferred from ESI FT-ICR MS. PLoS ONE 10(9):e0136376, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136376.

Mager, E.M., A.J. Esbaugh, J.D. Stieglitz, R.H. Hoenig, C. Bodinier, J.P. Incardona, N.L. Scholz, D.D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2014. Acute embryonic or juvenile exposure to Deepwater Horizon crude oil impairs the swimming performance of mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). Environmental Science & Technology 17(12):7,053–7,061, https://doi.org/10.1021/es501628k.

Major, D., Q. Zhang, G. Wang, and H. Wang. 2012. Oil-dispersant mixtures: Understanding chemical composition and its relation to human toxicity. Toxicology & Environmental Chemistry 94:1,832−1,845, https://doi.org/10.1080/02772248.2012.730202.

Montagna, P.A., J.G. Baguley, C. Cooksey, I. Hartwell, L.J. Hyde, J.L. Hyland, R.D. Kalke, L.M. Kracker, M. Reuscher, and A.C.E. Rhodes. 2013. Deep-sea benthic footprint of the Deepwater Horizon blowout. PLoS ONE 8:e70540, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070540.

NRC (National Research Council). 2003. Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates and Effects. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 280 pp.

Olsen, A.J., T. Nordtug, D. Altin, M. Lervik, and B.H. Hansen. 2013. Effects of dispersed oil on reproduction in the cold water copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 32:2,045–2,055, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.2273.

Omar-Ali, A., C. Hohn, P.J. Allen, J. Rodriguez, and L. Petrie-Hanson. 2015. Tissue PAH, blood cell and tissue changes following exposure to water accommodated fractions of crude oil in alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula. Marine Environmental Research 108:33–44, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.marenvres.2015.04.011.

Ozhan, K., and S. Bargu. 2014. Distinct responses of Gulf of Mexico phytoplankton communities to crude oil and the dispersant Corexit EC9500A under different nutrient regimes. Ecotoxicology 23:370–384, https://doi.org/​10.1007/s10646-014-1195-9.

Passow, U., K. Ziervogel, V. Asper, and A. Diercks. 2012. Marine snow formation in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Research Letters 7:0353.

Seuront, L. 2011. Hydrocarbon contamination decreases mating success in planktonic copepods. PLoS ONE 6(10):e26283, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0026283.

Simister, R.L., E.W. Antzis, and H.K. White. 2016. Examining the diversity of microbes in a deep-sea coral community impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Deep Sea Research Part II 129:157–166, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.dsr2.2015.01.010.

Sumaila, U.R., A.M. Cisneros-Montemayor, A. Dyck, L. Huang, and W. Cheung, 2012. Impact of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout on the economics of US Gulf fisheries. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 69:499–510, https://doi.org/10.1139/f2011-171.

Thorson, G. 1950. Reproductive and larval ecology of marine bottom invertebrates. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 25:1–45, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.1950.tb00585.x.

USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). 2010. EPA Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico website. US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersantmethods.html.

Valentine, M.M., and M.C. Benfield. 2013. Characterization of epibenthic and demersal megafauna at Mississippi Canyon 252 shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 77:196–209, https://doi.org/10.1016/​j.marpolbul.2013.10.004.

White, H.K., P.Y. Hsing, W. Cho, T.M. Shank, E.E. Cordes, A.M. Quattrini, R.K. Nelson, R. Camilli, A.W.J. Demopoulos, C.R. German, and others. 2012. Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109:20,303–20,308, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118029109.

White, H.K., S.L. Lyons, S.J. Harrison, D.M. Findley, Y. Liu, and E.B. Kujawinski. 2014. Long-term persistence of dispersants following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1:295–299.

Copyright & Usage

This is an open access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format as long as users cite the materials appropriately, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate the changes that were made to the original content. Images, animations, videos, or other third-party material used in articles are included in the Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If the material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission directly from the license holder to reproduce the material.