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Related Experiment Videos

Characterizing aquatic sediment-oil aggregates using in situ instruments.

Michael C Sterling1, James S Bonner, Andrew N S Ernest

  • 1Environmental and Water Resources Division, Civil Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3136, USA.

Marine Pollution Bulletin
|February 26, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Emulsified crude oil and salinity impact aggregate size and shape in coastal waters. Colloidal oil and mixing shear are key factors influencing aggregate morphology, with aggregates becoming too compact for some analyses.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Oceanography
  • Colloid Science

Background:

  • Marine aggregates influence water quality and biogeochemical processes.
  • Understanding aggregate formation is crucial for predicting pollutant transport and ecosystem health.
  • Emulsified crude oil and varying salinity are common in coastal environments, affecting aggregate properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of emulsified crude oil and salinity on aggregate volume distributions and fractal dimensions.
  • To compare aggregate characteristics under different mean velocity gradients (shear rates).
  • To evaluate the consistency of different measurement techniques for aggregate analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Aggregation experiments conducted in a 40-L cylindrical tank with controlled shear.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Determination of three-dimensional fractal dimensions (D3) and volume distributions using electrozone and in situ light scattering.
  • Determination of two-dimensional fractal dimensions (D2) and volume distributions using a submersible flow cytometer with image analysis.

    • Main Results:

    • Consistent size distributions and fractal dimensions (D2=1.92±0.16, D3=2.94±0.12) were observed for latex beads and emulsified crude oil systems.
    • Increasing shear (G(m)) led to higher D3 values, indicating more compact aggregates.
    • Salinity and sediment type had minor effects on D2, but clay-oil aggregates showed higher D3 than clay aggregates, suggesting oil and shear dominance.

    Conclusions:

    • Colloidal oil and mixing shear are dominant factors in nearshore aggregate morphology.
    • Aggregate analysis methods provide consistent results, but high shear and salinity in coastal waters create aggregates too compact for D3 estimation by image analysis alone.
    • Findings highlight the importance of shear and oil presence in shaping marine aggregates.