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In reply to the discussion: An explosion in oil-munching bacteria made fast work of BP oil spill, scientist says [View all]jpak
(41,780 posts)The Gulf of Mexico has numerous *natural* low-volume hydrocarbon seeps that provide a steady supply of hydrocarbon substrates to the water column
The water column in the GOM naturally contains prokaryotes adapted to assimilating and oxidizing petroleum and methane from those seeps.
When the spill occurred, the petroleum and methane released stimulated the growth of hydrocarbon oxidizing prokaryotes already present in the water column.
Initial dissolved oxygen and inorganic N and P concentrations in the deep waters of the GOM were more than sufficient to support the abundant growth of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria from the spill.
The water temperatures were also high enough to support rapid prokaryotic growth and metabolism after the spill - and rapid abiotic weathering of petroleum on the sea surface.
The proliferation and succession of pertroleum-oxidizing prokaryote species during the oxidiation of the spill products was also not unexpected.
There is nothing in this article that even hints at greenwash.
It's sound science.
Take off the tinfoil.
Sheesh
yup