Question

Some environmental factors can speed up the oil decomposition. For example, scientists are concerned that oil spills in the Arctic Ocean will take much longer to clean up than oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. Explain why oil decomposition might be slower in the Arctic Ocean.

A. A major spill would travel with currents in and under sea ice during the ice season, making it almost impossible to contain, recover, and decompose.

B. In the Arctic, it is too cold for enzymes and bacteria to live, which are critical to breaking down and decomposing.

C. The Arctic ecosystems would be more damaged by the harsh processes needed to remove oil (such as drilling).

D. Oil will become frozen in Arctic ice, which means it will not be able to interact with the bacteria that breaks it down into smaller hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide.

E. The temperature of the Arctic is much lower than the temperature of the Gulf, therefore decomposition in the Arctic will take longer.

Answer 1

The main reason is kinetics,

temperature plays a very important role

so

E. The temperature of the Arctic is much lower than the temperature of the Gulf, therefore decomposition in the Arctic will take longer.

according to

K = A*exp(-E/(RT))

so, as T increases, the rate constant (K) increases, which increases the rate of reaction