[Coral-List] BP Crude Oil Found in Heterotrophic Corals

[Steve Kolian]

Dear Listers, You may be interested in an article recently published in the Gulf and Caribbean Research journal and companion video below:  BP/Deepwater
Horizon Mississippi Canyon (MC-252) crude oil was found in predatory corals
that inhabit offshore oil and gas in May, June and August 2011. The well
blowout occurred on 20 April 2010 and was reported to have been capped on 15
July 2010. The GI 90 block platforms are located 168 km west of BP's MC-252
spill site, and 60 km south of Port Fourchon, LA, and were routinely surveyed
before and during the BP blowout period beginning June 2005.  On 8 May
2011, we noted sporadic mortality of colonies of orange-cup corals Tubastrea
coccinea, and green sun corals, Tubastrea micranthus, that were
among colonies of coral that appeared to be in good health. The heterotrophic
corals continued to be exposed to BP MC 252 subsurface crude oil up to 385 days
after capping. About 3,500 major structures are scattered across the northern
GOM and we suggest that analysis of the predatory coral and filter feeding
organisms, i.e., sponges, barnacles, bryozoans, etc., on the pilings of
offshore platforms can be used to determine the source oil, the recent and
historical exposure, and the horizontal and vertical distributions of
subsurface oil from the BP Macondo field.

 

The publication is available
at: 

http://www.ecorigs.org/CoralDepurationBPoil.pdf

 

Companion video on YouTube

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrvNsJjAzoo

 

Kolian, S. R.; Porter, S.;
Sammarco, P. W.; Cake, E. (2013) Depuration of Macondo (MC-252) oil found in
heterotrophic scleractinian corals (Tubastrea
coccinea and Tubastrea micranthus)
on offshore oil/gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.  Gulf and
Caribbean Research, Vol. 25, 99-103. 

Published by: University of Southern Mississippi (Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory)