The Arctic is increasingly accessible for development and shipping due to the reduction in sea ice coverage from climate change. While 400 oil and gas fields have been discovered in onshore locations across Alaska, Russia, and Canada, a moratorium on exploration and development in the marine environment has been in place since 2016, with review every five years. However, the existence of oil resources along with the potential for trans-Arctic maritime crossings poses significant risks of oil spills to the pristine Arctic marine habitat, and the livelihood of Inuit communities. Marine Oil Snow (MOS), which forms in response to oil spills, is recognized as a hot spot of microbial activity. These oil-entrained flocs are composed of organic and inorganic materials and prokaryotic and phytoplanktonic cells and have the potential to transport oil components to different environmental compartments during sinking, thus having potential impacts on benthic communities and higher trophic levels. Therefore, it’s crucial to investigate the oil biodegradation that occurs within MOS before its deposition. This study uses seawater microcosms set up to simulate natural wave movements, amended with Churchill Diesel fuel. The light intensity and temperature settings of the microcosm are adjusted to reflect the seasonal conditions. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing will be conducted using an Oxford Nanopore Technologies GridION and samples will be analyzed for microbial diversity and functionality, including comparative genomics assessment of oil biodegradation genes. Biodegradation efficiency will be quantitatively analyzed using GC-MS. Preliminary results suggest the occurrence of alkane and PAH degradation.