Mesocosm: Characterization of cell concentrations and microaggregate abundance, MICROX, to study the microbial oxidation and degradation of oil

A mesocosm scale experiment was conducted to monitor the temporal changes in microbial cell abundance as well as the concentration of microaggregates that form in response to the presence of oil and chemically dispersed oil. Water samples were collected and viewed under the microscope to quantify cell and microaggregate concentrations over time.