Recovery of the coastal marine environment in the Gulf following the 1991 war-related oil spills

Results from a 1991 rapid assessment survey to investigate the extent of hydrocarbon contamination resulting from the massive spillage of petroleum and the burning of oil wells revealed that war-related pollution in the Gulf was restricted to approximately 400 km from the sources. Subsequent surveys of the impacted zone were organized during 1992 and 1993 to investigate temporal changes in petroleum hydrocarbon contamination and recovery. Sub-tidal surface sediments from the coastlines of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were sampled and analysed for petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). At most locations by 1992, degradation had resulted in a composition (as determined by gas chromatography) dominated by an unresolved complex mixture, with only the most resistant resolved compounds surviving. Levels of contamination at impacted sites were generally shown to have decreased by approximately 50% between 1991 and 1992. A much lesser reduction in contamination was recorded for the period 1992 to 1993, and an increase in hydrocarbon concentrations was noted for stations in Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia, possibly as a result of increased tanker activity and associated deballasting. PAH concentrations are shown to remain comparatively low, with oil rather than combustion being the major source.