Oil and gas exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) are currently in progress at depths similar or greater than those where the Deepwater Horizon blowout occurred. The vast majority of studies addressing the microbial community response to oil contamination in the deep sea have been conducted at atmospheric pressure or at in situ pressure following decompression during sample retrieval, despite that pressure has been acknowledged as a critical factor affecting the function of microbial communities. While site-specific research is required in order to develop effective bioremediation protocols, the self-healing ability of the EMS through biodegradation after a potential deep oil spill has not been addressed so far under in situ pressure conditions. In this study, the effect of pressure, crude oil and dispersant on deep EMS microbial communities was studied using undecompressed (HP treatment) and depressurized (REPRESS treatment) deep-sea water.
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