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bottom of the Giilf and become part of the~bedload and longer term
depositional processes. These sand impregnated tarballs would contain
highly weathered and relatively non-toxic components. In previous large
spills, benthic trawls have shown that small amounts of hydrocarbons are
scattered over wide areas of the bottom of the Persian Gulf, and they have
not appeared to lead to abnormalities in the benthic communities.


13. Would dispersants or bioremediation be ~ecflve countermeasures for
a massive spill in this area?

Arabian crude exhibits a extremely strong tendency to form stable water-
in-oil emulsions (so-called chocolate mousse) which would greatly decrease
the effectiveness of dispersants. The composition of Arabian crude (i.e.,
high levels of polar compounds, waxes, and asphaltenes) enhance mousse
formation. If dispersants were to be effective at all, they would need to be
applied very early (hours after spill), and even then their effectiveness
would be reduced by the same factors which tend to enhance dispersion,
mainly mixing or agitation. After the oil begins to weather due to
evaporative losses and photo-oxidation, it will become even less dispersible.

Bioremediation is a process in which nutrients alone or in conjunction with
microbes are applied to spilled oil; this technology has been used
effectively in the treatment of oil wastes using lagoon and land-farming
techniques. Open water application of bioremediation products, however,
would not produce quick results, and may, in fa~t, enhar~ce mousse
formation, slowing evaporation and other natural removal processes.
Uncontrolled applications of bioremediation agents on stranded oil mayj
have llrnited utility.


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