Effects of temperature on mineralisation of petroleum in contaminated Antarctic terrestrial sediments

Although petroleum contamination has been identified at many Antarctic research stations, and is recognized as posing a significant threat to the Antarctic environment, full-scale in situ remediation has not yet been used in Antarctica. This is partly because it has been assumed that temperatures are too low for effective biodegradation. To test this, the effects of temperature on the hydrocarbon mineralisation rate in Antarctic terrestrial sediments were quantified. 14C-labelled octadecane was added to nutrient amended microcosms that were incubated over a range of temperatures between −2 and 42 °C. We found a positive correlation between temperature and mineralisation rate, with the fastest rates occurring in samples incubated at the highest temperatures. At temperatures below or near the freezing point of water there was a virtual absence of mineralisation. High temperatures (37 and 42 °C) and the temperatures just above the freezing point of water (4 °C) showed an initial mineralisation lag period, then a sharp increase in the mineralisation rate before a protracted plateau phase. Mineralisation at temperatures between 10 and 28 °C had no initial lag phase. The high rate of mineralisation at 37 and 42 °C was surprising, as most continental Antarctic microorganisms described thus far have an optimal temperature for growth of between 20 and 30 °C and a maximal growth temperature <37 °C. The main implications for bioremediation in Antarctica from this study are that a high-temperature treatment would yield the most rapid biodegradation of the contaminant. However, in situ biodegradation using nutrients and other amendments is still possible at soil temperatures that occur naturally in summer at the Antarctic site we studies (Casey Station 66°17′ S, 110°32′ E), although treatment times could be excessively long.