Editing Petroleum (section)

=== Tarballs ===
A tarball is a blob of crude oil (not to be confused with [[tar]], which is a human-made product derived from pine trees or refined from petroleum) which has been weathered after floating in the ocean. Tarballs are an aquatic [[pollutant]] in most environments, although they can occur naturally, for example in the Santa Barbara Channel of California<ref name="itah">{{Cite journal |last1=Itah A.Y. |last2=Essien J.P. |date=Oct 2005 |title=Growth Profile and Hydrocarbonoclastic Potential of Microorganisms Isolated from Tarballs in the Bight of Bonny, Nigeria |journal=World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology |volume=21 |issue=6–7 |pages=1317–1322 |doi=10.1007/s11274-004-6694-z |s2cid=84888286}}</ref><ref name="hostettler">{{Cite journal |last1=Hostettler |first1=Frances D. |last2=Rosenbauer |first2=Robert J. |last3=Lorenson |first3=Thomas D. |last4=Dougherty |first4=Jennifer |year=2004 |title=Geochemical characterization of tarballs on beaches along the California coast. Part I – Shallow seepage impacting the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel |journal=Organic Geochemistry |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=725–746 |bibcode=2004OrGeo..35..725H |doi=10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.01.022}}</ref> or in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Drew Jubera |date=August 1987 |title=Texas Primer: The Tar Ball |url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/texas-primer-tar-ball |url-status=live |magazine=Texas Monthly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707102758/http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/texas-primer-tar-ball |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref> Their concentration and features have been used to assess the extent of [[oil spills]]. Their composition can be used to identify their sources of origin,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knap Anthony H |last2=Burns Kathryn A |last3=Dawson Rodger |last4=Ehrhardt Manfred |last5=Palmork Karsten H |date=December 1984 |title=Dissolved/dispersed hydrocarbons, tarballs and the surface microlayer: Experiences from an IOC/UNEP Workshop in Bermuda |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=313–319 |doi=10.1016/0025-326X(86)90217-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Zhendi |last2=Fingas |first2=Merv |last3=Landriault |first3=Michael |last4=Sigouin |first4=Lise |last5=Castle |first5=Bill |last6=Hostetter |first6=David |last7=Zhang |first7=Dachung |last8=Spencer |first8=Brad |date=July 1998 |title=Identification and Linkage of Tarballs from the Coasts of Vancouver Island and Northern California Using GC/MS and Isotopic Techniques |journal=Journal of High Resolution Chromatography |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=383–395 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1521-4168(19980701)21:7<383::AID-JHRC383>3.0.CO;2-3}}</ref> and tarballs themselves may be dispersed over long distances by deep sea currents.<ref name="hostettler" /> They are slowly decomposed by bacteria, including ''[[Chromobacterium violaceum]]'', ''[[Cladosporium resinae]]'', ''[[Bacillus submarinus]]'', ''[[Micrococcus varians]]'', ''[[Pseudomonas aeruginosa]]'', ''[[Candida marina]]'' and ''[[Saccharomyces estuari]]''.<ref name="itah" />