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Significant spatial variability of bioavailable PAHs in water column and sediment porewater in the Gulf of Mexico 1 year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

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Abstract

One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill accident, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polyethylene devices (PEDs) were deployed in wetland areas and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to monitor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The measured PAH levels with the PEDs in coastal areas were 0.05–1.9 ng/L in water and 0.03–9.7 ng/L in sediment porewater. With the SPMDs, the measured PAH levels in wetlands (Barataria Bay) were 1.4–73 ng/L in water and 3.3–107 ng/L in porewater. The total PAH concentrations in the coastal areas were close to the reported baseline PAH concentrations in GOM; however, the total PAH concentrations in the wetland areas were one or two orders of magnitude higher than those reported in the coastal areas. In light of the significant spatial variability of PAHs in the Gulf’s environments, baseline information on PAHs should be obtained in specific areas periodically.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative’s “Short-Term Continuing and Emergent Observations and Sampling (GRI III).”

Funding

This study was funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative’s “Short-Term Continuing and Emergent Observations and Sampling (GRI III),” project title: Application of Passive Samplers to Monitor PAHs Concentrations in Water, Sediment Porewater, Sediment, and Commercially Important Organisms in the Gulf of Mexico in Order to Quantify Site-Specific, Chronic Damages to the Natural Resources.

Compliance with ethical standards

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing of interests.

Human and animal rights and informed consent

This study did not involve human participants and animals.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yongseok Hong

    Present address: Department of Environmental Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 712-714, Republic of Korea

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Ames Hall 313, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Yongseok Hong, Pan Ji & Edward Bouwer

  2. National Aquarium Conservation Center, Baltimore National Aquarium, 501 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA

    Yongseok Hong & Erik Rifkin

  3. Aquatic Toxicology Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

    Dana Wetzel, Erin L. Pulster & Pete Hull

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA

    Danny Reible

  5. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Texas Southern University, New Science Center 203A, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004, USA

    Hyun-Min Hwang

Authors
  1. Yongseok Hong
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Correspondence to Edward Bouwer.

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Hong, Y., Wetzel, D., Pulster, E.L. et al. Significant spatial variability of bioavailable PAHs in water column and sediment porewater in the Gulf of Mexico 1 year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environ Monit Assess 187, 646 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4867-x

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