TY - CHAP

T1 - Oil spill pollution in permafrost environments

AU - Опекунова, Марина Германовна

AU - Опекунов, Анатолий Юрьевич

AU - Кукушкин, Степан Юрьевич

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - Oil spills in permafrost environments have a significant impact on natural ecosystems due to the severe climate and low temperatures that reduce the rate of biological and chemical degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. These soils slowly self-purify from oil contamination in Arctic landscapes with high moisture and low temperatures. The intensity of hydrocarbon migration depends on the soil texture, thickness, and moisture content as well as the thickness of the active layer. The peat horizon in Arctic soils plays an important role in the distribution of pollutants. It serves as a biogeochemical barrier, reducing the possibility of the lateral and radial spread of pollutants. The break-down of petroleum hydrocarbons is accompanied by changes in their composition: the concentration of n-alkanes decreases and the content of heavy fractions, resins and asphaltenes, increases over long periods due their preservation in permafrost environments. Significant differences have been shown between measurements obtained using infrared spectroscopy and those obtained by the fluorimetric method. Degradation of the cryolithozone under the influence of oil spills is local in nature, and this type of impact does not have any significant effect on global climate change.

AB - Oil spills in permafrost environments have a significant impact on natural ecosystems due to the severe climate and low temperatures that reduce the rate of biological and chemical degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. These soils slowly self-purify from oil contamination in Arctic landscapes with high moisture and low temperatures. The intensity of hydrocarbon migration depends on the soil texture, thickness, and moisture content as well as the thickness of the active layer. The peat horizon in Arctic soils plays an important role in the distribution of pollutants. It serves as a biogeochemical barrier, reducing the possibility of the lateral and radial spread of pollutants. The break-down of petroleum hydrocarbons is accompanied by changes in their composition: the concentration of n-alkanes decreases and the content of heavy fractions, resins and asphaltenes, increases over long periods due their preservation in permafrost environments. Significant differences have been shown between measurements obtained using infrared spectroscopy and those obtained by the fluorimetric method. Degradation of the cryolithozone under the influence of oil spills is local in nature, and this type of impact does not have any significant effect on global climate change.

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d75d81ee-ddd1-320c-aeac-e21aa92724c7/

U2 - 10.1016/b978-0-323-85242-5.00031-2

DO - 10.1016/b978-0-323-85242-5.00031-2

M3 - Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

SN - 978-0-323-85893-9

VL - 4

T3 - Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

SP - 379

EP - 403

BT - Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

A2 - Elias, Scott A.

PB - Elsevier

ER -