Where's the oil?

[Vast LWC]

Much as I hate to admit it, there are occasionally subjects that I know little about. The exact chemical make-up of Oil and it's possible combination with precipitation is one of them.

You learn something new every day. My mind is definitely more at ease now.

 

[BolshevikHunter]

~BH

 

[KissMy]

Oil Eating Microbes

Dr. Joye said the findings about declining oxygen levels were especially worrisome, since oxygen is so slow to move from the surface of the ocean to the bottom. She suspects that oil-eating bacteria are consuming the oxygen at a feverish clip as they work to break down the plumes.

While the oxygen depletion so far is not enough to kill off sea life, the possibility looms that oxygen levels could fall so low as to create large dead zones, especially at the seafloor. “That’s the big worry,” said Ray Highsmith

Nature Fighting Back Against Gulf Oil Spill

Heavier oil still in the water gets broken into droplets or dispersed naturally though wind and wave action, allowing legions of microbes to move in for a feast.

Energy-rich oil "is basically butter" to these organisms, Reddy said. "Any self-respecting bacteria is going to want to eat it."

But oil-munching microbes are choosy: They go after the most simply shaped oil molecules first, because smoother shapes are easier to nibble on than more complex, jagged oil molecules.

In other words, Reddy said, the bacteria "start off with big stuffed shrimp and prime rib and fresh sushi and [then] go to the less and less appetizing compounds"—which drags out breakdown of the oil by weeks or months.