Oil contamination of beaches causes significant damage as these ecosystems are unique habitats that provide foraging and nesting grounds for a variety of animals including endangered species, and play pivotal roles in shore line protection and coastal economies. Even small oil spills in the ocean result in sizable slicks that currents transport to sandy beaches that line a third of the global shoreline. Weathering during transit reduces the degradability, viscosity and density of the oil, influencing its fate at the shore. While photolysis, biodegradation, tidal pumping, and seasonal sediment movement facilitate relatively rapid removal of stranded oil from sandy beaches of temperate and warm climes, thick buried oil layers persist for decades in armored gravel beaches of cold shores, emphasizing the controls of beach morphodynamics, biodegradation, and climate in the recovery from beach oil pollution.

海滩的石油污染会造成重大破坏，因为这些生态系统是独特的栖息地，为包括濒危物种在内的各种动物提供觅食和筑巢地，并在海岸线保护和沿海经济中发挥关键作用。即使是海洋中的少量石油泄漏也会导致大量浮油，这些浮油被海流输送到占全球海岸线三分之一的沙滩。运输过程中的风化会降低油的降解性、粘度和密度，影响其在岸上的命运。虽然光解、生物降解、潮汐抽吸和季节性沉积物运动有助于相对快速地从温带和温暖气候的沙滩上清除滞留油，但在寒冷海岸的装甲砾石海滩中，厚厚的埋藏油层会持续数十年，强调对海滩形态动力学的控制，