Marine sediments tell the history of an environment, including oil spills. By "reading" sediments from the past century, a research team has now determined how much oil hydrocarbon is accumulated in different vegetated coastal habitats of the Arabian Gulf and the significance of this for environmental management.
source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sediment-libraries-show-marine-ecosystems-are-accumulating-oil-pollution-faster-than-ever