A mesocosm experiment to determine half-lives of individual hydrocarbons in simulated oil spill scenarios with and without the dispersant, Corexit.

Here, we report results from a 15-day mesocosm experiment examining changes in estimated oil equivalents (EOEs), n-alkanes (n-C to n-C), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and petroleum biomarkers. Water accommodated fractions (WAF) of oil and diluted chemically enhanced WAF (DCEWAF) were prepared and concentrations of oil residues determined on day 0, 3 and 15, respectively. Significant removals of n-alkane and PAHs were observed starting from day 3.