Mapping spatial and temporal variation of seafloor organic matter Δ 14 C and δ 13 C in the Northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, large amounts of biodegraded oil (petrocarbon) sank to the seafloor. Our objectives were to 1) determine post-spill isotopic values as the sediments approached a new baseline and 2) track the recovery of affected sediments. Sediment organic carbon δ ¹³ C and Δ ¹⁴ C reached a post-spill baseline averaging -21.2 ± 0.9‰ (n = 129) and -220 ± 66‰ (n = 95). Spatial variations in seafloor organic carbon baseline isotopic values, ¹³ C and ¹⁴ C, were influenced by river discharge and hydrocarbon seepage, respectively. Inverse Distance Weighting of surface sediment Δ ¹⁴ C values away from seep sites showed a 50% decrease in the total mass of petrocarbon, from 2010 to 2014. We estimated a rate of loss of -2 × 10 ⁹ g of petrocarbon-C/year, 2-11% of the degradation rates in surface slicks. Despite the observed recovery in sediments, lingering residual material in the surface sediments was evident seven years following the blowout.
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