Abstract
Mussels (Mytilus edulis) were used to monitor the degree of oil contamination and the sublethal biological effects of oil in the vicinity of the North Sea oil terminal at Sullom Voe during the period from 1982 to 1985. Spatial and temporal changes in the concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons in the body tissues reflected the location and temporal variations in the number and size of small oil spillages. There was a significant negative relationship between scope for growth and the log10 concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons in the tissues (r=-0.72). A synthesis of data from Sullom Voe and mesocosm oil experiments enabled the former to be placed in a broader context. This not only extended the semi-logarithmic relationship between scope for growth and the tissue concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons but also demonstrated the relatively low to moderate level of oil contamination within Sullom Voe.
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© 1987 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Widdows, J., Donkin, P., Salkeld, P.N., Evans, S.V. (1987). Measurement of Scope for Growth and Tissue Hydrocarbon Concentrations of Mussels (Mytilus Epulis) at Sites in the Vicinity of the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal:- A Case Study. In: Kuiper, J., Van Den Brink, W.J. (eds) Fate and Effects of Oil in Marine Ecosystems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3573-0_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3573-0_27
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