Oceanography and Marine Biology An Annual Review Volume 56 S.J. Hawkins, A.J. Evans, A.C. Dale, L.B. Firth & I.P. Smith First Published 2018 ISBN 978-1-138-31862-5 (hbk) ISBN 978-0-429-45445-5 (ebk) Chapter 5 Impacts and Environmental Risks of Oil Spills on Marine Invertebrates, Algae and Seagrass: A Global Review from an Australian Perspective John K. Keesing, Adam Gartner, Mark Westera, Graham J. Edgar, Joanne Myers, Nick J. Hardman-Mountford & Mark Bailey (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 2018, 56, 2-61 © S. J. Hawkins, A. J. Evans, A. C. Dale, L. B. Firth, and I. P. Smith, Editors Taylor & Francis IMPACTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF OIL SPILLS ON MARINE INVERTEBRATES, ALGAE AND SEAGRASS: A GLOBAL REVIEW FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE JOHN K. KEESING1,2*, ADAM GARTNER3, MARK WESTERA3, GRAHAM J. EDGAR4,5, JOANNE MYERS1, NICK J. HARDMAN-MOUNTFORD1,2 & MARK BAILEY3 1CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Australia 2University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Australia 3BMT Pty Ltd, PO Box 462, Wembley, 6913, Australia 4Aquenal Pty Ltd, 244 Summerleas Rd, Kingston, 7050, Australia 5Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 49, Hobart, 7001, Australia *Corresponding author: John K. Keesing e-mail:
[email protected] Abstract Marine invertebrates and macrophytes are sensitive to the toxic effects of oil. Depending on the intensity, duration and circumstances of the exposure, they can suffer high levels of initial mortality together with prolonged sublethal effects that can act at individual, population and community levels.