Alkanes in seawater in the vicinity of the Buccaneer oil field

Abstract

From the Conclusions: “Concentrations of alkanes in 76 water samples collected within 30 km of the Buccaneer oilfield between June, 1976, and March, 1977, were found to be as high as 43 ppb. It appears that petroleum alkanes discharged from the production platforms float at the air/sea interface and are dispersed. Further studies are required to determine their rates of dispersion and to investigate whether oxidation, metabolism, and other processes have a significant role in the removal of petroleum from the region of this oilfield. It seems likely that discharge from the production platforms of hydrocarbon-producing bacteria, or a nutrient which supports such bacteria, is responsible for the presence of bacterial hydrocarbons in bottom water samples down-current of the oilfield…Our data, by comparison with other reports in the literature, indicate that oil production in the Buccaneer