C.I.C. Anyadiegwu¹, N. Uwaezuoke^1,

The oceans of the world are divided into two areas; the benthic zone or seafloor environment and the pelagic zone or water environment. The continental slope and beyond make up the benthic zone and includes the deepest part of the ocean floor which are made up of sediments consisting of rock particles and organic remain such as calcium carbonate shells of small organisms. From the high-tide mark along the shore to the depths of the ocean are found plants and animals of the sea. Plant and animal life in the benthic zone is most abundant in the coastal waters on the continental shelf. The benthos lives on and depends on the sea bottom and includes benthic fauna like deposit and filter feeders such as barnacles, bryozoans, sponges, mussels, hydroids, pycnogonid sea spiders and stalked crinoids. Plants are found only in the epipelagic zone of the pelagic zone where there is enough light for photosynthesis. Light does not penetrate below the mesopelagic zone. Benthic organisms are good indicators of oil pollution because they live in the sediment for all or most of their lives with limited mobility and differ in their tolerance to amount and types of pollution. Much of the benthic ecosystem/habitat have been either lost or destabilized due to pollution resulting from exploration and production activities in the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria. The pollution could have been in the form of noise, heat and motion in addition to chemicals. It was discovered that the pollutions could have been prevented or properly assessed if the government had implemented all the guidelines concerning marine and land exploration and production activities through its agencies and if standard baseline reports from benthic studies carried out before the spills that could serve as references are available.

petroleum, pollution, benthic, sediment, pollution indicator, Niger Delta