Gulf of Mexico dissolved hydrocarbons associated with the Ixtoc I mousse

Increased levels of dissolved hydrocarbons were observed in the western Gulf of Mexico during the late summer of 1979. This period was associated with heightened levels of surface tar and oil/water emulsion (mousse) directly resulting from the blowout of the Ixtoc I oil well in the Bay of Campeche on 3 June 1979. The observed concentrations of total dissolved hydrocarbons (up to 656.9 ng l^?1, n-alkanes) were one to two orders of magnitude above levels observed at control stations (5.2 ng l^?1, n-alkanes) and stations in the same area during the earlier Bureau of Land Management (BLM) baseline study. The highest concentrations observed were approximately of the same level as those obtained in an artificial spill/weathering experiment.     

Trace metal levels in coastal sea water investigation of Danish waters

The concentration levels of Cd (25 ng l^?1), Cu (0.45 μg l^?1), Ni (0.48 μg l^?1), Fe (0.2–7.0 μg l^?1), Pb (40 ng l^?1) and Zn (0.80 μg l^?1) have been determined in the Danish Sounds and in the Kattegat. Different sampling techniques have been used and analyses have been carried out separately by two different investigators, both using freon-extraction followed by determination by atomic absorption spectrometry (a.a.s.). Except for iron, found mainly in the particulate phase, the metals are found predominantly in a dissolved and labile (extractable) form. The results are compared with trace metal levels found in the two main water masses entering the Kattegat—the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.     

High mortality of the larvae of the common mussel at low concentrations of tributyltin

Laboratory reared veliger larvae of the common mussel Mytilus edulis were grown for 15 days in filtered seawater containing 10 μg l^?1, 1 μg l^?1 and 0.1 μg l^?1 tributyltin oxide (TBTO), the biocide in recent antifouling paint formulations. No larvae survived longer than 5 days in 10 μg l^?1 TBTO or 10 days in 1 μg l^?1 TBTO. Approximately half the larvae subjected to 0.1 μg l^?1 TBTO were dead by day 15 (approximate 15 day LC₅₀ = 0.1 μg l^?1 TBTO) and most of the surviving larvae were moribund and had grown significantly more slowly than controls. It is noted that current recorded levels of TBT at several UK estuarine sites are higher than 0.1 μg l^?1 and there has therefore probably been a high mortality of mussel larvae at such sites. The results are discussed in relation to the reported short-term toxicity of organotins to other marine organisms and the value of carrying out longer-term tests at low levels of TBT is pointed out.     

Increased levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in the surface sediments of Swedish coastal waters

Petroleum hydrocarbons in the sediments of the Bothnian Bay, Baltic proper, Öresund, Kattegatt and Skagerrak were analysed in a survey of oil pollution along the Swedish coast in 1974 and 1975. Sixty-one of these sediment stations were revisited in 1982 and analysed with the methods used in the first survey. The mean content of petroleum hydrocarbons (paraffin-naphthene fraction) in the sediment surface showed a statistically significant increase from 199 to 252 μg g^?1 dry wt. The main increase had taken place in the coastal areas. Within 0–20 km distance of urbanized areas (>20 000 inhabitants) petroleum hydrocarbons had increased from 371 to 447 μg g^?1. Sediment levels increased from 76 to 117 μg g^?1, 20–50 km from urbanized areas. The increase in these areas was equivalent to 0.119 g m^?2 yr^?1.     

Lead and copper in the waters of Raritan and Lower New York Bays

A survey of waters adjacent to this heavily urbanized and industrialized region showed concentrations of copper, 65 μg l.^?1 to be the highest reported to date for estuarine waters, and lead up to 13.9 μg l.^?1 Correlations between distributions of dissolved and total metal concentration in the water column, hydrography, and metal in the sediment were related to benthic studies in this area. Laboratory studies are cited which show the potential for adverse effects on marine animals at these metal concentrations.     

Dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons in some regions of the northern Indian ocean

Dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons were measured in some parts of the Northern Indian Ocean using UV absorbance technique with a clean up step. The concentration of oil ranged from 0.6 to 26.5 μg l^?1. Higher values were recorded along the oil tanker route compared with the coastal region From surface to about 10 m depth the oil appeared to be well mixed with water.     

Petroleum hydrocarbons in the arctic ocean surface water

The concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in Arctic surface water under the ice north of Svalbard has been determined by fluorescence spectrofluorometry using three different excitation/emission wavelength combinations. With Kuwait crude oil as a reference, the concentration range is 0.1–0.6 μg l^?1 crude oil equivalents with respect to light molecular weight components and 0.05–0.2 μg l^?1 heavy molecular weight components.     

Hydrocarbon concentrations in water and sediments from UK marine waters,determined by fluorescence spectroscopy

Between January 1978 and September 1979 samples of subsurface (1 m) water and surface sediment were collected from sites in the North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea and a number of estuarine areas. These have been analysed by fluorescence spectroscopy (UVF) in order to provide information on the levels of hydrocarbons generally present in UK marine waters.Total hydrocarbon concentrations (THCs) of water samples ranged from 1.1–74 μg l.^?1 Ekofisk crude oil equivalents, all values greater than 3.5 μg l.^?1 occurring inshore. In offshore areas the mean THCs were: 1.3 μg l.^?1 in the northern North Sea, 1.5 μg l.^?1 in the western Channel, 2.5 μg l.^?1 in the eastern Channel and southern North Sea, and 2.6 μg l.^?1 in the Irish Sea.THCs of sediment samples ranged from 0.27–340 μ g^?1 dry weight Ekofisk crude oil equivalents, the highest concentration being in the Queen's Channel, the main entrance to the River Mersey.     

Acute toxicity of bis(tributyltin) oxide to a marine copepod

A static renewal toxicity test was conducted to evaluate the response of the copepod Acartia tonsa to bis(tributyltin) oxide (TBTO), the active compound of recently developed antifouling paints. Copepods were individually placed in test tubes containing 4 ml of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7 or 3.0 μg l^?1 TBTO with acetone and seawater. Thirty copepods were used for each treatment and control condition and all solutions were renewed daily. The 96-h LC₅₀ was 1.0 μg l^?1 with a 95% confidence interval between 0.8 and 1.2 μg l^?1 TBTO. The 144-h EC₅₀ was 0.4 μg l^?1 TBTO which approaches concentrations recently measured in San Diego Bay. Some copepods exposed to 0.3 μg l^?1 TBTO became moribund after six days.     

Shell thickening in Crassostrea gigas: Organotin antifouling or sediment induced?

Crassostrea gigas spat were cultured for 8 weeks in the presence of a mixed algal diet in experimental tanks containing bis (tributyl tin) oxide (TBTO) alone, TBTO and a marine sediment, or a marine sediment alone. Growth measurements taken on a weekly basis showed enhanced weight gain in oysters exposed to nominal 50 and 100 mg l^?1 concentrations of marine sediment alone. Spat in low level TBTO treatments (0.15 μg l^?1) grew less well than the controls and showed pronounced thickening of the upper shell valve. High levels of TBTO (1.6 μg l^?1) severely inhibited oyster growth. Tissue concentrations of TBT compounds were measured at the end of the experiment. Bio-concentration factors of 3000- and 10000-fold were demonstrated for the high and low TBTO treatments respectively.     

Organotin and total tin in coastal waters of Southwest England

Samples of seawater from sites along the southwest coast were collected during 1984 and analysed for total tin and organotin by flameless atomic absorption spectro-photometry. Organotin concentrations were below detection limits (0.10 μg l^?1 TBTO) at all marina sites, but higher concentrations were found in harbour waters, the highest value being 0.88 μg l^?1 TBTO at Plymouth (Sutton harbour). The fact that organotin levels may occasionally exceed some toxicological threshold concentrations suggests that biological water quality may sometimes be depressed.     

Dissolved petroleum hydrocarbon in the northwestern Arabian Gulf

Mean concentrations of total hydrocarbons were 2.95, 4.14 and 3.29 μg l⁻¹ in seawater of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively. High concentrations were measured at the northern coasts of Qatar. Northern coasts of Qatar were found to be affected directly by water advected from Saudi Arabia seawater through the water circulation in this area. High concentration of oil (546.4 μg l⁻¹) was detected at the area in front of pipelines extended from Ras Tanura and Ju'aymah centres of oil production and exportation in the Arabian Gulf. This high concentration was detected in the north coast of Qatar after a period of 44 days indicating current speed of 5 cm s⁻¹ prevailing in this area.     

Aerial flux of particulate hydrocarbons to the Chesapeake Bay Estuary

Bulk hydrocarbon deposition rates have been measured over a 15 month period at four stations in south-eastern Virginia surrounding the lower Chesapeake Bay. A nearly linear trend of atmospheric particulate deposition was recorded. Deposition rates at the urban station (195 μg m^?2 day^?1) were aproximately three times greater than those recorded for nonurban and coastal locations (mean value 69 μg m^?2 day^?1). The increased levels at the urban location were attributed to localized source inputs. Anthropogenic hydrocarbons accounted for approximately 50% of the total deposition at all stations. Significant biogenic inputs were indicated by the odd/even n-alkane distribution. A minimum flux to the water surface, based on mean nonurban deposition rates (24 mg yr^?1), indicated an annual particulate hydrocarbon flux of +275 metric tons. Little information is available for the comparison of additional source inputs; however, the data reported here indicate that the aerial deposition of hydrocarbons is of the same order of magnitude as the input from municipal wastewater facilities and accidental discharge and is a potentially significant source of hydrocarbon pollution to the Chesapeake Bay Estuary.     

Occurrence and distribution of hydrocarbons in the surface microlayer and subsurface water from the urban coastal marine area off Marseilles, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Aliphatic (AHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in dissolved and particulate material from surface microlayer (SML) and subsurface water (SSW) sampled at nearshore observation stations, sewage effluents and harbour sites from Marseilles coastal area (Northwestern Mediterranean) in 2009 and 2010. Dissolved and particulate AH concentrations ranged 0.05–0.41 and 0.04–4.3 μg l⁻¹ in the SSW, peaking up to 38 and 1366 μg l⁻¹ in the SML, respectively. Dissolved and particulate PAHs ranged 1.9–98 and 1.9–21 ng l⁻¹ in the SSW, amounting up 217 and 1597 ng l⁻¹ in the SML, respectively. In harbours, hydrocarbons were concentrated in the SML, with enrichment factors reaching 1138 for particulate AHs. Besides episodic dominance of biogenic and pyrogenic inputs, a moderate anthropisation from petrogenic sources dominated suggesting the impact of shipping traffic and surface runoffs on this urbanised area. Rainfalls increased hydrocarbon concentrations by a factor 1.9–11.5 in the dissolved phase.     

Amenability of nitrilotriacetic acid to biodegradation in a marine simulation

The behaviour of the detergent builder nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) has been studied in the presence of a marine bacterial population potentially associated with a sewage discharge to coastal waters. Additions of 500 μg l^?1 NTA were made over a period of 80 days and 7500 μg l^?1 NTA over 40 days in both aerobic and anoxic environments. It was concluded that NTA was not degraded at either concentration under aerobic or anoxic conditions, despite the presence of a significant bacterial population under aerobic conditions. Possible effects of NTA recalcitrance and its accumulation in coastal marine waters are discussed.     

Present state of oil pollution in the northern Indian Ocean

A consolidated picture of oil pollution for the northern Indian Ocean is presented. Oil slicks were sighted on 5582 observations, about 83.5% of the total observations of 6689. The range of concentrations, of the floating tar balls, is 0–6.0 mg/m² in the Arabian Sea. Similarly, the oil tanker route in the Bay of Bengal has the range of 0–69.75 mg/m². North of this route, the Bay of Bengal is comparatively free from this floating tar. Mean concentrations of dissolved and dispersed hydrocarbons for 0–20 m are 32.5 and 24.1 μg kg^?1, respectively, in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.     

Survey of tar,hydrocarbon and metal pollution in the coastal waters of Oman

Quantitative beach sampling conducted after the S. W. monsoon season yielded average standing stocks of tar ranging from 5 to 2325 g m^?1 of shoreline with overall average of 224 g m^?1. Values are among the highest reported for any world area and show a trend of increasing levels of oil residues close to the Strait of Hormuz. Data support the premise that tanker deballasting is a major source of oil pollution on the Omani coast. Locally high levels were seen near offshore tanker loading facilities. Petroleum hydrocarbons in rock oysters increased in a south to north gradient consistent with beach tar observations. But relatively low hydrocarbon levels in biota coupled with observations of very little floating tar suggests that oil released in Omani coastal waters aggregates, sinks, and reaches the coast as heavy tar lumps. Except for elevated levels of Cd at two stations, heavy metal and chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations were low compared to more industrialized world areas. Suggestions are made to improve the effectiveness of future pollution studies in the Gulf Region.     

Enhanced mercury tolerance in marine mussels and relationship to low molecular weight,mercury-binding proteins

Pre-exposure of marine mussels to low levels of mercury (0.5 μg l^?1 and less) enhanced their tolerance to more toxic levels. Seawater mercury concentrations similar to our experimental pre-exposure levels have been reported in mercury-contaminated areas where mussels presently exist. A higher pre-exposure concentration (5 μg l^?1) was not effective in inducing enhanced mercury tolerance. The relative effectiveness of pre-exposure concentration in inducing enhanced tolerance was related to induction of mercury-binding proteins, the degree of saturation of mercury on the proteins, and the extent of binding of mercury to other subcellular fractions.     

Arsenic speciation and distribution in the Carnon estuary following the acute discharge of contaminated water from a disused mine

In February 1991 Wheal Jane, a tin mine in S.W. England, was closed, the mine drainage pumps were removed and underground water levels were left to rise. By January 1992 the build up of water in the mine was sufficient to cause the Nangiles adit to burst, and contaminated mine water containing high levels of arsenic overflowed into the Carnon River. The river in turn drained into an estuary system which reaches the sea at Falmouth. A contingency plan was introduced, with water being pumped from the mine and treated before discharge through a tailings dam. This brought the discharge from Nangiles under control by late February 1992, although flow recommenced from mid-April until early July 1992.The immediate impact of the discharge and treatment operation on the distribution and speciation of arsenic in the river was the presence of high concentrations of dissolved arsenite, with a level of 240 μg As l⁻¹ being measured below the mine tailings dam. Elevated concentrations of arsenite, typically 9 μg As l⁻¹, persisted in the saline region of the Carnon estuary. By the following July the levels of arsenite had dropped significantly in the river but the levels in Restronguet Creek remained essentially unchanged. In comparison with the arsenite concentrations, the arsenate levels were comparatively low in the whole river/estuary system in the February following the initial discharge. A significant increase was however found in the saline region in the following July.Methylated arsenic species were absent from the river but were present in the biologically productive saline region during the warmer summer sampling period. The July concentrations of dimethylarsenic ranged from 1.0 to 2.1 μg As l⁻¹ and monomethylarsenic from 0.2 to 0.5 μg As l⁻¹.     

Mercury in tropical marine organisms from north Queensland

Total mercury concentrations were determined in a variety of fish and invertebrates and two dugongs from the coastal waters of Townsville on the N.E. coast of Australia. Fish generally contained the highest levels of mercury with 50% of the sharks examined having muscle concentrations above 0.5 μg g^?1 wet weight. A significantly positive correlation was found between muscle levels and body length in sharks. Seventy per cent of the teleosts examined contained less than 0.2 μg g^?1 in their muscle tissue and only 7% were above 0.5 μg g^?1. Mercury concentrations in teleost liver were significantly positively correlated with muscle levels. Of the invertebrates examined, the cephalopod molluscs contained the highest levels although none exceeded 0.5 μg g^?1. Mercury levels in the dugong were extremely low compared with most reported values for other marine mammals. It was concluded that the area contained mercury levels slightly above those considered normal for a non-contaminated marine environment.