An international consortium carried out a field trial of bioremediation on an Arctic beach on Spitsbergen (78 deg-N, 17'E), using an intermediate fuel oil and soluble and slow release fertilizers. While the primary mechanism of oil removal from the shoreline was physical, in association with fine sediment particles, there was good evidence that biodegradation was stimulated (approximately 8-10 fold in the early stages) by the bioremediation treatment. Fertilizer application was successful at delivering nutrients to the oiled sediment, and oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide evolution were substantially stimulated by the treatment. Microbial biomass, quantified by phospholipid fatty acids, was also increased. By 399 days after the application of fertilizer (about 195 ice-free days), changes int he chemical composition of the residual oil indicated that biodegradation was a significant fate for the oil.
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