2010
NewFields/University of Alaska
MEMORANDUM
Update: Joint Industry Program to Evaluate the Effects of Dispersed Oil on Cold
Water Environments of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas
Over the past several years NewFields and UAF’s Institute of Northern Engineering (INE) have
been conducting research on the biodegradation and biological effects of physically and
chemically dispersed petroleum on Arctic species under Arctic conditions at the BARC facility in
Barrow, Alaska. After an extensive review of the available scientific literature, we held a
workshop in Anchorage attended by leaders representing diverse stakeholder groups (oil industry,
regulatory agencies, native Alaskans as well as international scientists). The outcome of the
workshop was a consensus of critical research areas relevant to the Arctic; these research areas
have been undergoing investigation for the past two years under a Joint Industry Program funded
by Shell, ExxonMobil, Statoil, and ConocoPhillips. The key research areas being investigated
include: 1) the toxicity of physically and chemically dispersed petroleum on pelagic species that
are key components of Arctic food-webs, and 2) the biodegradation of physically and chemically
dispersed petroleum using Arctic seawater and the indigenous Arctic microbes under Arctic
conditions of low temperature and appropriate salinities.
This research program required the development of methods and protocols for the collection and
testing of Arctic organisms under conditions representing the open-water pelagic environment
during ice-free periods. Test plans, protocols, and interim data produced from these studies have
been reviewed by a technical review committee comprised of key resource agency personnel,
government representatives (federal, state and North Slope representatives), industrial sponsors
and an international group of scientists and managers of research activities for cold water and
Arctic environments. This Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been instrumental in guiding
the research efforts and builds interest and confidence in the test results and ultimately the
interpretation and application of these efforts to understanding potential effects of petroleum
under Arctic conditions. All of the information collected to date from the literature review and
workshop proceedings are available to the TAC on an open-access FTP web site; testing protocols
and experimental results will be added as they are finalized and accepted by the JIP steering
committee. Preliminary data results are being disseminated in presentations given by our
researchers while the final results are being prepared for peer-reviewed publication.
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Summer Field Sampling
Respirometer Testing
Winter Field Sampling
A SUMMARY OF INTERIM RESULTS
TOXICOLOGY
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Arctic representatives of key pelagic food-webs that provide food for selected seabirds,
marine mammals, and local fisheries were selected for toxicity tests to be conducted under
fall/winter and spring/summer periods. Initial testing of the copepod, Calanus glacialis and
the Arctic Cod, Boreogadus saida to exposures of physically and chemically dispersed
petroleum at 0 ±1 °C has demonstrated that adverse effects are observed over a longer
period of time than are generally used for standard acute toxicity tests for temperate species
(i.e., 12 days instead of 4 days). Additional tests have been conducted on larval sculpin
(Myoxocepahalus sp., an important estuarine species) in order to examine potential
differences in two species of fish from Arctic waters.
Preliminary data analysis suggests that Arctic species demonstrate similar or slightly less
sensitivity to petroleum than has been reported in tests with temperate species.
Additional testing of the dispersant Corexit 9500 on the Arctic copepod, compared to
previous tests with a temperate copepod (Eurytoma affinis) indicates that the Arctic copepod
is also less sensitive in dispersant-only tests and that the toxicity of the dispersant occurs at
concentrations that are much higher than the recommended use concentrations.
Methodology Improvements

Collection of Test Organisms. Our scientific team has quickly gained specialized
knowledge in design and deployment of field sampling equipment and development of
sampling strategies that have allowed collection of viable test organisms under minimal
stress permitting holding and testing of organisms over extended periods of time.

Development of True Dose Response Relationships. Assessments of toxicity effects using
nominal concentrations or initial oil loading rates and dispersant ratios do not accurately
represent exposure concentrations and relevant toxicity results under Arctic conditions;
therefore specialized analytical chemistry analyses is a key component of our research.

New Techniques for Physical Dispersion of Petroleum into Cold Arctic Seawater. A new
method to mechanically introduce bioavailable petroleum into cold Arctic seawater at
concentrations that result in acute toxicity has been developed. This major innovation
results in production of bioavailable petroleum in water for toxicity testing in the absence
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of chemical dispersants. Chemical analysis is ongoing on toxicity tests that have been
conducted and soon we will be able to chemically compare the concentrations of
petroleum and mixtures of petroleum and chemical dispersants to determine the
contribution of dispersants to the toxicity of the petroleum in the water. These data will
address the issue concerning the perception that chemically dispersed oil is more toxic
than physically dispersed.
BIODEGRADATION STUDIES

Biodegradation of physically and chemically dispersed petroleum has been examined using
Arctic waters at -1.0 °C and at +2.0 °C and their indigenous microbes. Follow-on work will also
address a slightly higher temperature to reflect summer conditions (5°C). This research uses a
combination of respirometry to measure biological activity of the organisms representing
total mineralization of petroleum and specialized chemical analysis at the end of the
experiment to measure primary degradation of the parent petroleum compounds and
microbial produced daughter products. Two experimental respirometry runs under cold
Arctic conditions demonstrate that Arctic microbes are capable of degrading hydrocarbons
(≈60% removal of total petroleum, saturate and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons over the
experimental period of 56 days).

There is also some experimental evidence produced by other researchers that the microbial
biomass may incorporate petroleum based carbon directly into cell walls. If this is occurring
then during this period of biodegradation the amount of oxygen being replenished by the
respirometer may be less than anticipated. These results are similar to the observations of
microbial biodegradation occurring at rapid rates in the cold waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
We anticipate doing similar genetic ‘fingerprinting’ using Arctic microbes exposed to
petroleum to compare to the findings in the Gulf of Mexico.
For further information please contact:
Dr. Jack Q Word
NewFields
jqword@newfields.com
360-297-6060
Or
Dr. Robert Perkins
UAF
raperkins@alaska.edu
907-474-7694