Abstract:
After oil spill accidents, the surface oil undergoes migration and transformation in the water column under physical and biological action. Different zooplankton and phytoplankton, bacteria and microplastics collide with and adhere to dispersed oil to form aggregates/agglomerates under the action of waves. The aggregates/agglomerates will suspend in the water column or settle to the seafloor. Zooplankton wraps oil in fecal particles through ingestion of oil droplets and defecation behavior, while phytoplankton and bacteria aggregate large quantities of oil with suspended particulate matter through the secreted mucus; the bacteria further reduce the oil concentration by breaking down the petroleum hydrocarbons in the oil droplet. Microplastics and oil form agglomerates under the intermolecular forces. This paper summarizes the current status of research on the behavior of marine oil spill by zooplankton, phytoplankton, bacteria, and organic particulate matter, which can support subsequent studies of oil transport and fate in the ocean.