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The biogeochemistry of toluene in coastal seawater: radiotracer experiments in controlled ecosystems

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Abstract

The fate of toluene in coastal seawater was investigated in controlled ecosystems using14C- and3H-toluene as tracers. Under winter-like conditions, 80% of the toluene volatilized from the water column in 2 months. Microbial degradation was less important than volatilization and sorption onto particulate matter with resultant loss to the sediments was minor. During summer most of the toluene was degraded by microbes. Nearly 80% of the toluene was converted to CO2 within 1 week and the label remained in the water column as dissolved CO2. The experimental results were applied to estimate the removal rates and the residence time of toluene in adjacent Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. In winter volatilization would dominate the loss of toluene and a residence time of 6 d would be predicted. However, rapid biodegradation in summer would result in a residence time of < 1 d.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    Stuart G. Wakeham & Elizabeth A. Canuel

  2. Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory (MERL), University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

    Peter H. Doering

  3. Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    John E. Hobbie & John V.K Helfrich

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Gayle R.G Lough

Authors
  1. Stuart G. Wakeham
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  2. Elizabeth A. Canuel
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  3. Peter H. Doering
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  4. John E. Hobbie
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  5. John V.K Helfrich
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  6. Gayle R.G Lough
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Wakeham, S.G., Canuel, E.A., Doering, P.H. et al. The biogeochemistry of toluene in coastal seawater: radiotracer experiments in controlled ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 1, 307–328 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187375

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187375

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