Biological and chemical data of oil-derived elements being assimilated by oysters due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill collected in Alabama and Mississippi coastal waters (NODC Accession 0118498)

This dataset contains stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in oyster shell, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Shell material was sampled from oysters grown at five sites along the Mississippi-Alabama coast and in Mobile Bay before, during, and after the spill (June 2008, April-July 2010). Samples of SPM were collected from the same or equivalent sites and timeframes. Oil samples came from tar balls, mats, and semisolid oil forms collected from sediments along the shoreline from the Florida-Alabama border to Petit Bois Island in Mississippi. For all samples, the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were determined. Oyster shell samples were also analyzed for six trace and minor elements which have been highlighted for use in detection of hydrocarbon pollution (Cd, Co, Mo, Ni, Pd, V).

Purpose: To understand the influence of oil-derived carbon and nitrogen in the diet of the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), we compared the stable isotope composition in the shells of oysters grown before, during, and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS) to the composition of naturally occurring SPM available as food for oyster, and with weathered and fresh oil. Stable isotope ratios are commonly used to define diets and associated food web linkages. By making these comparisons, we determined that although oil-derived elements were present in surface and bottom waters where oysters were growing during and after the DWHOS, they did not appear to significantly influence the C and N stable isotope composition in oysters.