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The effects of three oils on marine phytoplankton photosynthesis

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Abstract

The effects of 3 oils (Venezuelan crude, No. 2 fuel, and No. 6 fuel) on the photosynthesis of natural phytoplankton communities from Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia (Canada), and the northwest Atlantic Ocean between Halifax and Bermuda were examined using a radiocarbon method. The 3 oils can inhibit photosynthesis, and the degree of inhibition depends upon oil type and concentration. The No. 2 fuel oil was the most toxic. Under certain conditions, low concentrations of Venezuelan crude oil can stimulate photosynthesis. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that present levels of oil contamination in Bedford Basin could be inhibiting photosynthesis by a few percent, while present levels in open ocean water have no apparent deleterious effect on photosynthesis.

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Author notes

  1. D. C. Gordon Jr.

    Present address: Marine Ecology Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Ecology Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

    N. J. Prouse

Authors
  1. D. C. Gordon Jr.
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  2. N. J. Prouse
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Additional information

Communicated by T. R. Parsons, Vancouver

Bedford Institute of Oceanography Contribution.

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Gordon, D.C., Prouse, N.J. The effects of three oils on marine phytoplankton photosynthesis. Mar. Biol. 22, 329–333 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391389

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391389

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