107
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_7
Chapter 7
Biodegradation of Petroleum
Hydrocarbons in the Deep Sea
Joel E. Kostka, Samantha B. Joye, Will Overholt, Paul Bubenheim,
Steffen Hackbusch, Stephen R. Larter, Andreas Liese, Sara A. Lincoln,
Angeliki Marietou, Rudolf Müller, Nuttapol Noirungsee,
Thomas B. P. Oldenburg, Jagoš R. Radović, and Juan Viamonte
Abstract The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) discharge is unique in that it represents
the first large spill that occurred in the deep sea, and unparalleled volumes of chemical dispersant were applied during emergency response efforts. Thus, the DWH
incident raised new challenges with regard to predictions of petroleum hydrocarbon
(PHC) biodegradation and the fate of discharged hydrocarbons in the deep sea,
which is permanently cold (~4 °C) and exposed to high hydrostatic pressure (1 MPa
per 100 m). Although extensive information is available on the rates and controls of
J. E. Kostka (*)
Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biology and Earth & Atmospheric Sciences,
Atlanta, GA, USA
e-mail: joel.kostka@biology.gatech.edu
S. B. Joye
University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences, Athens, GA, USA
e-mail: mjoye@uga.edu
W. Overholt
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Biodiversity, Jena, Germany
P. Bubenheim · S. Hackbusch · A. Liese · R. Müller · N. Noirungsee
Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Technical Biocatalysis, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: paul.bubenheim@tuhh.de; steffen.hackbusch@tuhh.de;
liese@tuhh.de; ru.mueller@tu-harburg.de; nuttapol.noirungsee@tuhh.de
S. R. Larter · T. B. P. Oldenburg · J. R. Radović · J. Viamonte
University of Calgary, PRG, Department of Geoscience, Calgary, AB, Canada
e-mail: slarter@ucalgary.ca; toldenbu@ucalgary.ca; jagos.radovic@ucalgary.ca;
juan.viamonte@tuhh.de
S. A. Lincoln
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Geosciences, University Park, PA, USA
e-mail: slincoln@psu.edu
A. Marietou
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience-Microbiology, Aarhus, Denmark
e-mail: a.marietou@bios.au.dk
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_7
Chapter 7
Biodegradation of Petroleum
Hydrocarbons in the Deep Sea
Joel E. Kostka, Samantha B. Joye, Will Overholt, Paul Bubenheim,
Steffen Hackbusch, Stephen R. Larter, Andreas Liese, Sara A. Lincoln,
Angeliki Marietou, Rudolf Müller, Nuttapol Noirungsee,
Thomas B. P. Oldenburg, Jagoš R. Radović, and Juan Viamonte
Abstract The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) discharge is unique in that it represents
the first large spill that occurred in the deep sea, and unparalleled volumes of chemical dispersant were applied during emergency response efforts. Thus, the DWH
incident raised new challenges with regard to predictions of petroleum hydrocarbon
(PHC) biodegradation and the fate of discharged hydrocarbons in the deep sea,
which is permanently cold (~4 °C) and exposed to high hydrostatic pressure (1 MPa
per 100 m). Although extensive information is available on the rates and controls of
J. E. Kostka (*)
Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biology and Earth & Atmospheric Sciences,
Atlanta, GA, USA
e-mail: joel.kostka@biology.gatech.edu
S. B. Joye
University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences, Athens, GA, USA
e-mail: mjoye@uga.edu
W. Overholt
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Biodiversity, Jena, Germany
P. Bubenheim · S. Hackbusch · A. Liese · R. Müller · N. Noirungsee
Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Technical Biocatalysis, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: paul.bubenheim@tuhh.de; steffen.hackbusch@tuhh.de;
liese@tuhh.de; ru.mueller@tu-harburg.de; nuttapol.noirungsee@tuhh.de
S. R. Larter · T. B. P. Oldenburg · J. R. Radović · J. Viamonte
University of Calgary, PRG, Department of Geoscience, Calgary, AB, Canada
e-mail: slarter@ucalgary.ca; toldenbu@ucalgary.ca; jagos.radovic@ucalgary.ca;
juan.viamonte@tuhh.de
S. A. Lincoln
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Geosciences, University Park, PA, USA
e-mail: slincoln@psu.edu
A. Marietou
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience-Microbiology, Aarhus, Denmark
e-mail: a.marietou@bios.au.dk