Tarball (oil)
Encyclopedia
A tarball is a blob of petroleum which has been weathered after floating in the ocean. Tarballs are an aquatic pollutant
in most environments, although they can occur naturally and as such are not always associated with oil spill
s.
Tarball concentration and features have been used to assess the extent of oil spills and their composition can also be used to identify their sources of origin. They are slowly decomposed by microorganisms, including Chromobacterium violaceum
, Cladosporium resinae, Bacillus submarinus, Micrococcus varians, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, Candida marina and Saccharomyces estuari.
Tarballs may be dispersed over long distances by deep sea currents. The density of tarballs depends on the solids picked up in the weathering process. They can range in density with some being more dense than seawater. When the tarballs are less dense than seawater, they can travel over great distances; they could also be contained like oil and picked up using a variety of methods. Containment booms can be used to isolate tarballs similar to methods used to isolate oil.
Pollutant
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil, and is the cause of pollution.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, its concentration and its persistence. Some pollutants are biodegradable and therefore will not persist in the environment in the...
in most environments, although they can occur naturally and as such are not always associated with oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
s.
Tarball concentration and features have been used to assess the extent of oil spills and their composition can also be used to identify their sources of origin. They are slowly decomposed by microorganisms, including Chromobacterium violaceum
Chromobacterium violaceum
Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-sporing coccobacillus. It is part of the normal flora of water and soil of tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It produces a natural antibiotic called violacein, which may be useful for the treatment of colon and...
, Cladosporium resinae, Bacillus submarinus, Micrococcus varians, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium that can cause disease in animals, including humans. It is found in soil, water, skin flora, and most man-made environments throughout the world. It thrives not only in normal atmospheres, but also in hypoxic atmospheres, and has, thus, colonized many...
, Candida marina and Saccharomyces estuari.
Tarballs may be dispersed over long distances by deep sea currents. The density of tarballs depends on the solids picked up in the weathering process. They can range in density with some being more dense than seawater. When the tarballs are less dense than seawater, they can travel over great distances; they could also be contained like oil and picked up using a variety of methods. Containment booms can be used to isolate tarballs similar to methods used to isolate oil.