Available nutrient dynamics in marsh sediments contaminated by an oil spill following a flood

Available nutrient dynamics (nitrogen and phosphorus) were monitored following an oil spill that occurred during a major flood on the San Jacinto River, near Houston, Texas. Results indicated that elevated available nutrient levels accelerated the process of petroleum degradation. The results also indicated the need to test the nutrient levels before application of bio-enhancement efforts. Although it appeared unlikely that at this particular site the addition of nutrients would have accelerated the degradation rate, an increase in the rate would be still possible under a different set of circumstances. By way of an example, it was suggested that if the nutrient values were at normal levels, the addition of fertilizer could increase the degradation rates of petroleum compounds. This was, in fact, observed at a later stage of this series of experiments. 9 refs., 4 figs