Long-term patterns of ultra-low sulfur fuel oil bioremediation in Arctic shorelines using in situ mesocosms
Abstract
New maritime regulations restricting high-sulfur fuels have led to the transition to new low sulfur fuel oils (LFSOs). We do not know how LSFOs will behave in marine environments and how they will respond to available remediation strategies, presenting an environmental risk. The risk will be even higher in the remote high Arctic, especially along the Northwest Passage (NWP), for which an increase in shipping traffic is expected by the end of the century. In this study, we evaluated the long-term (one year) biodegradation potential of the native microbial community of NWP beach sediment using in situ mesocosm experiments with two different types of LSFOs: a marine gas oil (Marine diesel) and an ultra-low sulfur fuel oil (ULSFO). We observed that the lighter Marine diesel was biodegraded better (72.0%) than the heavier ULSFO (32.5%). We described composition of the microbial community of the mesocosms using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and observed a decrease in microbial diversity for the fuel-treated samples compared to the untreated controls. Despite the decrease in overall diversity, we observed significantly higher abundances of known hydrocarbon degrading microbes (e.g., Oleispira , Altererythrobacter , Gilvibacter , Pseudohongiella ) in the fuel mesocosms. Our study showed the potential to implement biodegradation as a remediation strategy under the cold and oligotrophic environmental conditions present throughout the NWP. However, we also observed that microbes on their own cannot degrade the entirety of the removed fuel and other types of remediation will need to be considered to complement the natural biodegradation observed here. Highlights - The natural attenuation of low sulfur fuels under Arctic conditions was characterized - Marine diesel was more easily biodegraded than ULSFO - Arctic beach bacteria can adapt to the presence of oils on the shorelines - These microbes cannot fully biodegrade the tested fuels under Arctic conditions
Related
- A review on the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for monitoring shorelines and intertidal areas
- Food and beverage plastics dominate global shorelines: A harmonized rank-based assessment of usage types to guide interventions
- Adsorption of Cobalt onto Microplastics in Riverine Mesocosms: Influence of Biofilm Development
- Fate and accumulation of legacy and emerging PFAS in periphytic biofilms in riverine mesocosms
- Using behavioral and biochemical biomarkers to assess the effects of a nitrate and pesticide mixture on Gammarus fossarum in mesocosms implanted in a constructed wetland (Seine-et-Marne, France)
BibTeX
@misc{gongora2026longterm,
title = {{Long-term patterns of ultra-low sulfur fuel oil bioremediation in Arctic shorelines using in situ mesocosms}},
author = {Esteban Góngora and Ya-Jou Chen and Nastasia Freyria and Antoine-O. Lirette and Charles Greer and Lyle Whyte},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.27.747307},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05838282v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Long-term patterns of ultra-low sulfur fuel oil bioremediation in Arctic shorelines using in situ mesocosms
AU - Esteban Góngora
AU - Ya-Jou Chen
AU - Nastasia Freyria
AU - Antoine-O. Lirette
AU - Charles Greer
AU - Lyle Whyte
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/27
PB - HAL
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.27.747307
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05838282v1
AB - New maritime regulations restricting high-sulfur fuels have led to the transition to new low sulfur fuel oils (LFSOs). We do not know how LSFOs will behave in marine environments and how they will respond to available remediation strategies, presenting an environmental risk. The risk will be even higher in the remote high Arctic, especially along the Northwest Passage (NWP), for which an increase in shipping traffic is expected by the end of the century. In this study, we evaluated the long-term (one year) biodegradation potential of the native microbial community of NWP beach sediment using in situ mesocosm experiments with two different types of LSFOs: a marine gas oil (Marine diesel) and an ultra-low sulfur fuel oil (ULSFO). We observed that the lighter Marine diesel was biodegraded better (72.0%) than the heavier ULSFO (32.5%). We described composition of the microbial community of the mesocosms using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and observed a decrease in microbial diversity for the fuel-treated samples compared to the untreated controls. Despite the decrease in overall diversity, we observed significantly higher abundances of known hydrocarbon degrading microbes (e.g., Oleispira , Altererythrobacter , Gilvibacter , Pseudohongiella ) in the fuel mesocosms. Our study showed the potential to implement biodegradation as a remediation strategy under the cold and oligotrophic environmental conditions present throughout the NWP. However, we also observed that microbes on their own cannot degrade the entirety of the removed fuel and other types of remediation will need to be considered to complement the natural biodegradation observed here. Highlights - The natural attenuation of low sulfur fuels under Arctic conditions was characterized - Marine diesel was more easily biodegraded than ULSFO - Arctic beach bacteria can adapt to the presence of oils on the shorelines - These microbes cannot fully biodegrade the tested fuels under Arctic conditions
ER -