Despite the great ecological and economic importance of coral reefs, these ecosystems are especially sensitive to environmental changes and vulnerable to impacts from various anthropogenic activities, including contamination by oil spills. Oil spills occur worldwide, mostly in marine environments, and have been reported for decades. Furthermore, the main oil transport routes in the oceans are close to important coral reefs and many of the major oil spills in history have occurred near these areas. Because of the widespread use of petroleum products, offshore oil and gas production has significantly increased its potential since the 1990s, thus increasing the risk of accidents in marine environments and consequently on coral reefs. Despite the great risk of oil exploitation to coral reefs, there is still no efficient, sustainable, and large-scale applicable remediation strategy to protect or to clean up reefs impacted by oil spills. Current methodologies to remediate oil pollution in marine environments are based on the use of chemical dispersants; however, these can be more harmful to corals than oil itself. Meanwhile, the use of bioremediation strategy, through the manipulation of the coral microbiome, has been proposed as a possible alternative to mitigate the impacts of oil on coral reefs.

Since the early 1970s, experts have recognized that petroleum pollutants were being discharged in marine waters worldwide, from oil spills, vessel operations, and land-based sources. Public attention to oil spills has forced improvements. Still, a considerable amount of oil is discharged yearly into sensitive coastal environments. Oil in the Sea provides the best available estimate of oil pollutant discharge into marine waters, including an evaluation of the methods for assessing petroleum load and a discussion about the concerns these loads represent. Featuring close-up looks at the Exxon Valdez spill and other notable events, the book identifies important research questions and makes recommendations for better analysis ofâ€"and more effective measures againstâ€"pollutant discharge. The book discusses: Inputâ€"where the discharges come from, including the role of two-stroke engines used on recreational craft. Behavior or fateâ€"how oil is affected by processes such as evaporation as it moves through the marine environment. Effectsâ€"what we know about the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on marine organisms and ecosystems. Providing a needed update on a problem of international importance, this book will be of interest to energy policy makers, industry officials and managers, engineers and researchers, and advocates for the marine environment.