Effects of oil and a dispersant on intertidal organisms in field experiments with a Mesocosm, the Bremerhaven Caisson

Abstract Three medium-scale field experiments on the effects of oil, a dispersant and an oil/dispersant mixture were carried out in an intertidal mud flat ecosystem of the Wadden Sea (German Bight). For six successive tides each contaminant was added to the water enclosed in a mesocosm during submersion of the flat. The fate of the oil in the sediment and effects on phytobenthos, bacteria and macrozoobenthos were studied. Penetration of the oil into the sediment was mainly observed at the surface layer. were present when oil was chemically dispersed. Sublethal effects were found in some macrofauna species (reduced feeding activity) and in phytobenthic organisms (increased activity); oil degrading bacteria increased. No major effects were observed when the dispersant alone was added.