Presentation
Hydrocarbon degradation capability of the microbial community inhabiting Canadian high Arctic beach sediments
SessionMeet the Poster Authors
DescriptionReduction of sea ice coverage across the Canadian Arctic has led to increased shipping activity in recent years. More shipping traffic comes with the possibility of an accident leading to a fuel spill washing up on Arctic beaches. Due to the logistical difficulties of performing a fuel clean-up in the Canadian Arctic, bioremediation could be one of the most feasible remediation solutions due to its simplicity and reduced human intervention. As part of the MPRI 1, we deployed in situ mesocosms consisting of fluorocarbon nettings covered with fuels (Arctic diesel, Bunker C, and Ultra low sulfur fuel oil) on Assistance Bay (Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada) to determine if the native beach microbiota can biodegrade these fuels. After a month, the microbial community in the fuel treatments contained more hydrocarbon degrading taxa, compared to the untreated controls. We also found a larger proportion of genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation in the fuel-treated mesocosms. Additionally, we observed degradation of the aliphatic (51.3%) and aromatic (20.3%) fractions of the tested fuels. While the beach microbial community is able to respond to the presence of hydrocarbons in their environment, only partial degradation of the fuels was achieved. We believe that the cold and oligotrophic environment of the Canadian high Arctic is limiting the metabolic activity of the microbial community. To overcome this problem, we are currently evaluating the addition of nutrients to stimulate microbial activity as well as increasing the duration of the experiment in order to achieve higher levels of biodegradation.
Event Type
Poster
TimeMonday, May 13th5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
LocationExhibit Hall G
Preparedness
Prevention
Remediation
Response
Restoration