Tarballs wash ashore at Chowpatty, Juhu Beach in Mumbai

Tarballs are dark, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. Pic via Pradip Patade

Tarballs were washed ashore at Mumbai's Chowpatty in the Girgaon area on Tuesday. Marine enthusiast Pradip Patade captured pictures and videos of them.

"Tarballs usually wash ashore due to onshore winds, and it is an annual occurrence. Shaunak Modi, who has been documenting oil spills and tarballs for several years, said they are also present at Juhu Beach," Patade said.

According to a 2017 research paper titled ‘Diversity of Bacteria and Fungi Associated with Tarballs: Recent Developments and Future Prospects' by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), tarballs are remnants of crude oil from which petrol is extracted.

Tarballs are dark, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. They are created through the weathering of crude oil in marine environments and are carried from the open sea to shorelines by currents and waves.

While tarballs are usually coin-sized and found scattered on beaches, over the years, they have grown as large as basketballs, weighing up to 6-7 kg.