Gaytha A. Langlois, Professor of Environmental Policy
Bryant College, Department of Science & Technology
Ongoing Studies of Island Protozoa - Narragansett Bay & Buzzards Bay
Site
MapSite
MapHypotheses
Petroleum
HCNs will be similar to compounds found in the bioremediation area
Volatile
organic compounds will be high as a result of biosparging technique
Oiled
communities will resemble those found in earlier mesocosm studies
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of Page
General
Findings
Oil/gasoline
residues are visible in the intertidal zone
Photos
of Contaminated Beach
Petroleum
HCNs found in intertidal zone are similar to nearby
monitoring
wells in bioremediation area
VOCs
are present in intertidal samples (BTEX profile),
indicating
presence of residues of gasoline
Table
I: Petroleum Hydrocarbons Found at Prudence Island Bioremediation Site
Microbial
communities are similar to those found in other oil contaminated sites
(emergence
of large, diatom-eating ciliates; reduced numbers in selected microinvertebrate
populations; high numbers of diatoms)
Figure
1: Microbial Populations in Control & Oiled Intertidal Marine Microbial
Communities
Oiled
microbial communities are comprised of different species and show
altered
community structure and trophic dynamics
Table
II. Differential Species Composition in Control & Oiled Habitats
Studies
are ongoing; database will remain accessible via this Web Site
(including
previous field and mesocosm studies)
Database (Microbial
Species Found in Oiled Communities)
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