Spatial relationships between bacteria and polarization were examined using microbiological and surface analytical techniques. Corrosion products produced by well-established artificial crevices in 304 stainless steel in abiotic seawater were associated with large numbers of bacteria after brief exposures to natural seawater. The presence of bacteria did not alter the distribution or composition of the corrosion products. Cathodic polarization increased the number of viable marine bacteria and extracellular debris on 304 stainless steel. Bacterial colonization and metabolism can fix anodes and cathodes; however, abiotic polarization can influence the number and types of bacteria associated with the surface. Spatial relationships between bacteria and localized corrosion cannot independently be interpreted as causal.
Keywords: microbiologically influenced corrosion, cathodic polarization, crevice corrosion