EFFECTIVENESS OF BIOREMEDIATION FOR THE EXXON-VALDEZ OIL-SPILL

The effectiveness of bioremediation for oil spills has been difficult to establish on dynamic, heterogeneous marine shorelines. A new interp retative technique used following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alask a shows that fertilizer applications significantly increased rates of oil biodegradation. Biodegradation rates depended mainly on the concen tration of nitrogen within the shoreline, the oil loading, and the ext ent to which natural biodegradation had already taken place. The resul ts suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of bioremediation measure s in the future.