Imprint and short-term fate of the Agia Zoni II tanker oil spill on the marine ecosystem of Saronikos Gulf

C Parinos; I Hatzianestis; S Chourdaki; E Plakidi; A Gogou

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.374

Imprint and short-term fate of the Agia Zoni II tanker oil spill on the marine ecosystem of Saronikos Gulf

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Nov 25:693:133568. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.374. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Authors

C Parinos¹, I Hatzianestis², S Chourdaki², E Plakidi², A Gogou²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (H.C.M.R.), 46.7 Km Athens-Sounio av., Mavro Lithari, 19013 Anavyssos, Attiki, Greece. Electronic address: ksparinos@hcmr.gr.
² Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (H.C.M.R.), 46.7 Km Athens-Sounio av., Mavro Lithari, 19013 Anavyssos, Attiki, Greece.

PMID: 31365897
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.374

Abstract

In this study we investigate the spatial and temporal imprint of the September 2017 Agia Zoni II tanker heavy fuel oil spill on the marine ecosystem of Saronikos Gulf (Greece). Based on the chemical fingerprinting approach, by means of gas chromatography - flame ionization detector, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the use of various diagnostic ratios, we characterize changes in the composition of the spilled oil at various sampling sites and evaluate major mechanisms affecting its fate i.e. dissolution/dispersion, evaporation, biodegradation, photo-oxidation and sedimentation during the first six months from the spill. Overall, the main effects of the incident were confined to the coastal zone during the first three months after the spill, where an extended petroleum imprint was recorded in many cases, with the determined concentrations of the total petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons falling within the highest range of concentrations previously reported for similar oil spill incidents worldwide. In the first three months following the spill the oil was affected by a combination of volatilization, rapid biodegradation and photodegradation, the later playing a role in its early days weathering. Concerning sediments, an imprint related to the incident was recorded in a few cases, being, however, mild in respect to the high chronic petroleum-associated anthropogenic background of the impacted area.

Keywords: Agia Zoni II; Heavy fuel oil; Oil spill; Saronikos Gulf.