Abstract:

Investigation of effects of various oiling scenarios on different marsh types was carried out in greenhouse mesocosm study between 2010 and 2011. Intact marsh sods with dominated plant species of either Spartina alterniflora or Juncus roemerianus were treated with 6 different oiling scenarios to provide a more comprehensive analysis of effects of different oiling scenarios on the structure and function of these coastal marshes. Six oiling scenarios were: (1) oil coverage of the lower 30% of the shoot-height of S. alterniflora or J. roemerianus, (2) oil coverage of the lower 70% of the shoot-height, (3) repeated oil coverage of the lower 70% of the shoot-height,(4) 100% oil coverage of shoots, (5) soil oiling with 8 L m−2 of oil added to the sediment surface and allowed to penetrate the sediment, and (6) no oil as a control. The oil used was artificially weathered and emulsified south Louisiana crude oil.