Final answer:
Temperature and inorganic nutrient concentrations were the key limiting factors for the rate of petroleum degradation after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Cold Alaskan waters and a lack of nutrients slowed down bacterial degradation processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, the rate and effectiveness of petroleum degradation by naturally occurring microorganisms were influenced by several factors. Among these, the most significant were temperature and inorganic nutrient concentrations. Low temperatures in the Alaskan waters slowed down the metabolic rates of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, leading to less efficient breakdown of oil components. Additionally, the initial scarcity of inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus limited the growth and activity of bacteria, necessitating the addition of nutrients to enhance bioremediation efforts. In this context, the success of bioremediation was particularly determined by the presence of oil-solubilizing prokaryotes capable of degrading hydrocarbons into smaller subunits and ultimately into carbon dioxide, with some species producing surfactants to solubilize the oil.