Design and Operation of Oil Discharge Systems and Characteristics of Oil Used in the Baffin Island Oil Spill Project

As part of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project, two experimental oil discharges were made into bays at Cape Hatt at the northern end of Baffin Island. The objective was to allow the comparison of the nearshore fate and effects of an untreated surface oil slick and oil chemically dispersed into the water column. Weathered Lagomedio crude oil (15 cu m) was discharged onto the water surface in one bay, and most of the slick became stranded on the intertidal zone under the influence of an onshore wind and ebb tide. The oil thickness averaged about 1 mm on the beach face. The same volume and type of oil premixed with Corexit 9527 in a ratio of 10:1 was pumped into a second bay through a perforated diffuser pipe lying on the bottom sediments. The cloud of chemically dispersed oil contacted the bottom sediments and benthic organisms in the second bay and an adjacent third bay. The total exposure in the water column in the second bay was about 300 micro g/g/h and about 30 micro g/g/h in the third bay.Key words: BIOS Project, oil spill, Arctic, oil discharge system, dispersantMots clés: projet BIOS, déversement de pétrole, Arctique, système de déversement de pétrole, agent de dispersio

Hydrocarbon Biogeochemical Setting of the Baffin Island Oil Spill Experimental Sites. II. Water

A baseline for petroleum residues in the waters of the Cape Hatt region of Baffin Island in arctic Canada was obtained in anticipation of controlled oil releases of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project. Total aliphatic and aromatic residues reflecting multiple sources were found to be in the low to sub micro g/l concentrations range. Alkylated naphthalenes, phenanthrenes and dibenzothiophenes were present in the sub ng/l concentrations range. The hydrocarbon baseline for the waters of the BIOS study area was found to be as low as might be found anywhere on earth and therefore ideally suited to the BIOS study.Key words: BIOS, arctic marine Canada, hydrocarbon baseline, waterMots clés: BIOS, Arctique marin canadien, niveau de référence d’hydrocarbures, ea

Hydrocarbon Biogeochemical Setting of the Baffin Island Oil Spill Experimental Sites. I. Sediments

A baseline for petroleum residues in the sediments of the Cape Hatt Island in arctic Canada was obtained in anticipation of controlled oil releases of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project. In subtidal sediments, the existing background of petroleum residues has an upper limit in the low to sub micro g/g concentration range. Petroleum was one of a variety of sources identified, including plant paraffin waxes and combustion products. Beach sediment hydrocarbons were quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those of subtidal sediments. The hydrocarbon baseline in sediments of the BIOS study area was found to be as low as might be found anywhere on earth and therefore ideally suited to the BIOS study.Key words: BIOS, arctic marine Canada, hydrocarbon baseline, sedimentsMots clés: BIOS, Arctique marin canadien, niveau de référence d'hydrocarbures, sédiment

Hydrocarbon Biogeochemical Setting of the Baffin Island Oil Spill Experimental Sites. III. Biota

A baseline for petroleum residues in the Cape Hatt region of Baffin Island in arctic Canada was obtained in anticipation of controlled oil releases of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project. Tissue hydrocarbons in a variety of arctic marine species were dominated by biogenic hydrocarbons. UV/F analysis of tissues indicated an upper limit of petroleum residues in the low to sub micro g/g concentration range. PAHs were detected in samples in the low ng/g concentration range and revealed a distribution of the combustion type. The hydrocarbon baseline in the BIOS study area was found to be as low as might be found anywhere on earth and therefore ideally suited to the BIOS study.Key words: BIOS, arctic marine Canada, hydrocarbon baseline, organismsMots clés: BIOS, Arctique marin canadien, niveau de référence d’hydrocarbures, organisme

Design and Operation of Oil Discharge Systems and Characteristics of Oil Used in the Baffin Island Oil Spill Project

As part of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project, two experimental oil discharges were made into bays at Cape Hatt at the northern end of Baffin Island. The objective was to allow the comparison of the nearshore fate and effects of an untreated surface oil slick and oil chemically dispersed into the water column. Weathered Lagomedio crude oil (15 cu m) was discharged onto the water surface in one bay, and most of the slick became stranded on the intertidal zone under the influence of an onshore wind and ebb tide. The oil thickness averaged about 1 mm on the beach face. The same volume and type of oil premixed with Corexit 9527 in a ratio of 10:1 was pumped into a second bay through a perforated diffuser pipe lying on the bottom sediments. The cloud of chemically dispersed oil contacted the bottom sediments and benthic organisms in the second bay and an adjacent third bay. The total exposure in the water column in the second bay was about 300 micro g/g/h and about 30 micro g/g/h in the third bay.Key words: BIOS Project, oil spill, Arctic, oil discharge system, dispersantMots clés: projet BIOS, déversement de pétrole, Arctique, système de déversement de pétrole, agent de dispersio

Hydrocarbon Biogeochemical Setting of the Baffin Island Oil Spill Experimental Sites. III. Biota

A baseline for petroleum residues in the Cape Hatt region of Baffin Island in arctic Canada was obtained in anticipation of controlled oil releases of the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project. Tissue hydrocarbons in a variety of arctic marine species were dominated by biogenic hydrocarbons. UV/F analysis of tissues indicated an upper limit of petroleum residues in the low to sub micro g/g concentration range. PAHs were detected in samples in the low ng/g concentration range and revealed a distribution of the combustion type. The hydrocarbon baseline in the BIOS study area was found to be as low as might be found anywhere on earth and therefore ideally suited to the BIOS study.Key words: BIOS, arctic marine Canada, hydrocarbon baseline, organismsMots clés: BIOS, Arctique marin canadien, niveau de référence d’hydrocarbures, organisme