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Article
The Science Behind Marine-oil Snow and MOSSFA: Past, Present, and Future
Progress in Oceanography
  • Adrian B. Burd, University of Georgia
  • Jeffrey P. Chanton, Florida State University
  • Kendra L. Daly, University of South Florida
  • Sherryl Gilbert, University of South Florida
  • Uta Passow, Memorial University
  • Antonietta Quigg, Texas A&M University Galveston
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2020
Keywords
  • Marine oil snow,
  • Sedimentation,
  • Deepwater horizon,
  • Flocculation
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102398
Abstract

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrated that oil in the water column may be transported from surface waters to the sediments via marine snow. Interactions between oil droplets and mineral particles have been intensively studied since the middle of the twentieth century, but interactions between oil and organic particles, such as phytoplankton, fecal pellets, and other organic detritus, have had less attention, and the formation of bacterial-oil aggregations has been unrecognized until now. Much has been learned about marine oil snow (MOS) sedimentation and flocculent accumulation (MOSSFA) since the Deepwater Horizon blowout. This review brings together this new understanding and highlights important areas where further investigation is needed.

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Progress in Oceanography, v. 187, art. 102398

Citation Information
Adrian B. Burd, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Kendra L. Daly, Sherryl Gilbert, et al.. "The Science Behind Marine-oil Snow and MOSSFA: Past, Present, and Future" Progress in Oceanography Vol. 187 (2020)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kendra_daly/95/