Microbes' role in oil spills investigated

BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A report by researchers at a California lab has highlighted the critical role microbes played in mitigating the two worst oil spill incidents in U.S. history.

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studying last year's BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska two decades ago say oil-degrading micro-organisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both spills.

Microbes helped immensely despite vast differences in the impacted marine ecosystems and the circumstances of the spills, a LBNL release said Friday.

"Responders to future oil spills would do well to mobilize as rapidly as possible to determine both natural and enhanced microbial degradation and what the best possible approach will be to minimize the risk and impact of the spill on the environment," LBNL microbial ecologist Terry Hazen said.

Hazen has studied microbial activity at both spill sites.

Petroleum hydrocarbons in crude oils are natural products derived from aquatic algae laid down between 180 and 85 million years ago, the researchers said, and because they naturally seep into the environment from undersea reservoirs, many microorganisms have evolved the ability to utilize these petroleum hydrocarbons as sources of food and energy for growth.

In both the Exxon Valdez and the BP Deepwater Horizon spills, the sudden and dramatic surge in the presence of crude oil sparked an immediate increase in the presence of oil-degrading microorganisms that began to feed on the spilled oil, Hazen said.