Mysterious oil spill along Brazil's northeast and southeast seaboard (2019–2020): Trying to find answers and filling data gaps

Lourenço, Rafael André; Combi, Tatiane; Alexandre, Marcelo da Rosa; Sasaki, Silvio Tarou; Zanardi-Lamardo, Eliete; Yogui, Gilvan Takeshi

Mysterious oil spill along Brazil's northeast and southeast seaboard (2019–2020): Trying to find answers and filling data gaps

2020

Large amounts of crude oil were found along Brazil's northeast and southeast seaboard from August 2019 to January 2020. Petroleum companies and oil tankers reported no accidents previously or during this period. The stranded oil on Brazilian beaches looks like tar; it has solid aspect and is denser than seawater. Chemical characterization of this oil showed that light hydrocarbons were still present, increasing the probability of negative effects to coastal organisms and ecosystems upon release in the water column. Diagnostic ratios, chromatogram pattern, and percentage-weathering plots proved that the oil samples share the same oil source. This work provides data for future comparison with oil samples that will likely be found stranded along the Brazilian shoreline in the years to come, helping to understand long term issues associated with the mysterious oil spill that made landfall in late 2019.

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