Fate of hydrocarbons discharged at sea

When oil is discharged into sea-water, it is subject to several processes including spreading, drifting, evaporation, dissolution, photolysis, biodegradation and formation of both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. Our present understanding of these processes, individually and in models, and our ability to express their rates quantitatively are reviewed, and suggestions are made for future research. Emphasis is placed on developing a deeper understanding of oil-water partitioning in dilute oil-in-water emulsions with a view to improving estimations of oil toxicity to marine biota.