DOSS Dispersant From Deepwater Horizon Spill Persists For Four Years
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 12:40
in Earth & Climate
The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was, to-date, the largest accidental release of oil into the ocean. 210 million gallons issued from the blown-out well. In an attempt to prevent vast quantities of oil from fouling beaches and marshes, BP applied 1.84 million gallons of the dispersant compound DOSS to oil released in the subsurface and to oil slicks at the sea surface. DOSS rapidly degrades in the environment but a new study by scientists at Haverford College and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that though DOSS does decrease the size of oil droplets and hampers the formation of large oil slicks, it can persist in the environment for up to four years. read more