DISPOSAL OF OIL IN SANDY COASTAL SOILS

A combination of survey and experimental studies is being conducted to determine the ecological risks associated with disposal of oiled beac h material (OEM) in coastal sand dunes and dune pastures. Past inciden ce of burial close to shoreline spill locations was less than expected and the two sites located in Britain showed very different patterns o f oil degradation and site recovery. Field scale experiments revealed that breakdown of hydrocarbons within OEM began very quickly after dep osition, even in nutrient-poor sand, leading to almost complete degrad ation of crude oil. There appears to be no lateral or vertical loss of oil or its breakdown products and recolonization of deposited OEM doe s occur naturally, though supplementary planting helps in stabilizing the sand surface. The application of this method in practical terms is constrained by the availability of suitable sites where it is possibl e to minimize physical disturbance to dune systems by lorries or other equipment employed in the removal process. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevie r Science Ltd.