Mesocosm: Rates of 14C hydrocarbon oxidation by microbial communities, MICROX, microbial oxidation and degradation of oil and oxidation rate measurements

A mesocosm scale experiment was conducted to monitor the temporal changes in microbial hydrocarbon oxidation rates in response to the presence of oil and chemically dispersed oil. Water samples were incubated with 14C labeled hexadecane and naphthalene and the amount of liberated 14C labeled carbon dioxide was measured as a proxy for hydrocarbon oxidation.