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Fattorini

dry deposition (particulate matter). While often at low Despite regulations and increasing awareness,
concentrations, the vastness of the ocean surface makes illegal dumping of oil and oily waste significantly
atmospheric deposition a significant contributor to the contributes to marine hydrocarbon pollution. This
global hydrocarbon budget in seawater, especially for includes the deliberate discharge of bilge water, tank
volatile and semi-volatile compounds. 42,71,72 Estimating cleaning residues, and even spent lubricating oils from
the global annual volume of hydrocarbons released smaller vessels or less regulated operations. Satellite
into the environment through atmospheric transfer and surveillance has revealed the prevalence of illegal
deposition is a complex task due to several factors, dumping, particularly in busy shipping lanes and
including the vast array of hydrocarbon compounds, areas with lax enforcement. Some reports suggest that
their varying atmospheric lifetimes, diverse emission thousands of cases of illegal dumping of hydrocarbons
sources (both natural and anthropogenic), and the occur in European seas alone every year, collectively
challenges of global monitoring and modeling. exceeding the inputs from major tanker accidents.
87
However, studies focusing on specific, environmentally Figure 2 summarizes and outlines the main sources of
significant groups, such as PAHs suggest that chronic discharge of oil, fuel and related waste into the
atmospheric deposition is a significant pathway to their marine environment; all these “secondary” sources of
ecosystem entry. The estimated global atmospheric release of hydrocarbon mixtures into the environment
input of PAHs to the ocean is over 1 million metric as a whole highlight that the severity of an oil spill is
tons annually. This underscores that atmospheric not solely determined by its size but also by the type
deposition, encompassing both direct emissions and of oil, the sensitivity of the affected environment, the
long-range transport, represents a substantial and effectiveness of the responses, and frequency of events.
continuous source of hydrocarbon pollution to the Chronic pollution may often induce sublethal effects
global environment. 42 across many taxa, from plankton to marine mammals.

Figure 2. Main chronic hydrocarbon spill, release, or discharge events in the marine environment. Inputs
may be characterized by shipping routine or washing operations, offshore drilling blowout and ruptures,
accidental release of oil-produced waters, urban and industrial runoff and discharges, atmospheric transport
and deposition of hydrocarbon derived from industrial activities, and a series of illegal dumping of oil, fuels,
and oily waste products. Image created by Daniele Fattorini with Microsoft Office 365 enterprise, PowerPoint
v.2504.

Volume 22 Issue 6 (2025) 30 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025290224