ABSTRACT
The objective of a study by Venosa et al. [6] was to measure the biodegradability of the 19-year lingering crude oil in laboratory microcosms. Samples of beach substrate were collected from representative sites in Prince William Sound contaminated with oil residues of varying weathering states according to the mass weathering index model. Enough sacricial microcosms were set up to accommodate two treatments for each site (natural attenuation and biosimulation). Results indicated that lingering oil is biodegradable. Nutrient addition stimulated biodegradation compared to natural attenuation in all treatments regardless of the degree of weathering. The most weathered oil according to the mass weathering index was the most biodegradable.
