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By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer
Tue Aug 24, 6:10 pm ET
WASHINGTON A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly
flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion
of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of
BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.
And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water,
researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in
Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress.
"Our findings, which provide the first data ever on microbial activity from a
deepwater dispersed oil plume, suggest" a great potential for bacteria to help
dispose of oil plumes in the deep-sea, Hazen said in a statement.
Environmentalists have raised concerns about the giant oil spill and the
underwater plume of dispersed oil, particularly its potential effects on sea
life. A report just last week described a 22-mile long underwater mist of tiny
oil droplets.
"Our findings show that the influx of oil profoundly altered the microbial
community by significantly stimulating deep-sea" cold temperature bacteria that
are closely related to known petroleum-degrading microbes, Hazen reported.
Their findings are based on more than 200 samples collected from 17 deepwater
sites between May 25 and June 2. They found that the dominant microbe in the
oil plume is a new species, closely related to members of Oceanospirillales.
This microbe thrives in cold water, with temperatures in the deep recorded at 5
degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit).
Hazen suggested that the bacteria may have adapted over time due to periodic
leaks and natural seeps of oil in the Gulf.
Scientists also had been concerned that oil-eating activity by microbes would
consume large amounts of oxygen in the water, creating a "dead zone" dangerous
to other life. But the new study found that oxygen saturation outside the oil
plume was 67-percent while within the plume it was 59-percent.
The research was supported by an existing grant with the Energy Biosciences
Institute, a partnership led by the University of California, Berkeley and the
University of Illinois that is funded by a $500 million, 10-year grant from BP.
Other support came from the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of
Oklahoma Research Foundation.
Sciencexpress is the online edition of the journal Science.