Research Product

Organic microlayers occur at the air-water interface of most bodies of water. The microlayer or "sea slick" formation appears to be related mainly to decay of naturally occurring aquatic organisms or to their production of lipodial by-products. Sea slicks are known to influence wave action and height, air-water temperature exchange, stability of bubbles and foams, and the concentration of salt-containing micro-droplets in the marine atmosphere. In coastal regions particularly, the direct activities of man are of increasing importance in the generation of surface slicks. Industrial and municipal sewage effluents constitute the major source of films and foams, but crude oil spillage appears to be a major contributor in localized areas. In studies from our laboratories on a yeast isolated from a freshwater oil layer, the chlorinated pesticide heptachlor either stimulated or inhibited hexadecane utilization dependent upon cultural conditions. The heptachlor was bound to the yeast cells but no direct evidence for its metabolism was obtained. Stimulation of oxidation of hexadecane in the presence of a non-utilizable substrate by a fungus (Cladosporium resinae) has been shown also by Walker and Cooney (1975). Growth inhibition of estuarine microorganisms by polychlorinated biphenyl formulations has been demonstrated in laboratory studies and field and laboratory studies have shown that crude oil may diversely affect the various species of the estuarine microecosystem. The potential for alteration of the estuarine surface film microflora by hydrocarbons can be expected to increase with the advent of superports and the extension of offshore oil fields. For a better understanding of the composite phenomena affected by surface films, and their role in pollutant concentration or metabolism, a substantial increase in our knowledge of the chemical identity of surface films and of the changes in the film with microbial activity needs to be developed.