Dear Colleagues,

Marine oil spills are important threats to sea ecosystems, including coastal environments, even more so in colder climates where oil pollution is more persistent due to low temperatures and low light intensity, slowing the spilled oil’s self-dispersal. Oil spill mitigation in Arctic regions also presents a challenge due to poorly accessible locations and extreme weather, which can complicate or totally impede the usage of traditional oil spills clean-up methods such as booms, skimmers, and pumping systems. Therefore, microbial-based biotechnologies, such as those harnessing the potential of oil compound degradation by indigenous microbes, have been suggested to be more suitable for such regions due to their relatively easy implementation, cost-effectiveness, and smaller impact on the environment. Among oil bioremediation approaches, bioelectrochemical systems for enhancing the microbial oxidation of oil compounds in marine water or sediments are extremely appealing since they have the potential to serve as permanent, low-cost and low-maintenance solutions. The interaction of oil pollution and emerging pollutants like microplastics on marine oil-degrading microbial communities needs attention and incorporation into marine oil bioremediation solutions. The impact of oil compounds on the animal microbiome in cold marine environments must also be assessed as one of the consequences of oil spills.

This Special Issue will publish papers that address:

• Microbial communities and metabolic pathways responsible for the degradation of different oil fractions in different marine compartments of the cold marine environment.
• The microbial ecology of oil biodegradation in the case of co-contamination, particularly microplastics.
• The impact of marine oil pollution on animal microbiomes.
• The development and application of bioremediation approaches for marine oil spill response in cold climates and ice-infested areas, including bioelectrochemical systems.

Prof. Dr. Jaak Truu
Guest Editor

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• oil biodegradation and bioremediation
• microbial community
• marine environment
• arctic
• microplastics
• animal microbiome
• bioelectrochemical systems