Oil Spill Science and Technology, 2nd Edition

4.4. Weathering Effect on Oil Chemical Composition

Once oil enters into the environment, it is immediately subjected to a series of natural processes including evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, oil-sediment aggregation, emulsification, photooxidation, sedimentation, etc. [1] Weathering is termed as the combination of these processes which affect the composition of spilled oil in the environment [1,60,89]. Oil weathering processes have an extensive influence on the behavior, effects, and ultimate fate of an oil spill and therefore, have been a topic of much research to inform spill response activities [1]. These processes highly depend on the nature of oil spilled and weather conditions during and after the spill (e.g., temperature, wave movement, ...