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- Title
Degradation and Composition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Following Oil Exposure in Experimental Salt Marshes.
- Authors
Anderson, Christopher
- Abstract
Using mesocosms sodded with Juncus roemerianus, this study examined the change in concentration and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) immediately following oil exposure. Wetland mesocosms were exposed to oil pre-treated through varying weathering and dosages to induce a range of PAH concentrations. Six trials (consisting of two or three mesocosms) were established using different combinations of oil dosages and weathering durations to elicit a range of initial PAH concentrations in the soil. Wetland soils were sampled per trial and analyzed 2 and 10 weeks following oil exposure for PAHs. Based on initial concentrations (2 weeks post-oil exposure), a total of 42 analytes (dominated by three-, four-, and five-ring compounds) were consistently detected across all trials. The ∑PAH concentration of wetland trials ranged from 108.1 to 906.2 mg kg dry weight. Individual PAH analyte reduction and degradation between sampling dates was calculated as the total percent change in analyte concentration and the percent change in analyte concentration relative to the concentration of biomarker hopane, respectively. All trials showed a significant relationship between PAH analyte molecular weight and its percent reduction and percent degradation. Trials with the highest initial ∑PAH concentration (659.4 and 906.2 mg kg dry weight) showed the most PAH loss with significantly greater reduction of high-molecular-weight analytes (four- and five-rings) than the other trials. However, when evaluated based on degradation, all trials showed similar trends of percent degradation relative to molecular weight. Our results suggest that oil loss through hydrologic export (i.e., washout from tidal action) may be important after initial oil exposure, and salt marsh soils may have a certain capacity to retain PAHs in soil.
- Subjects
BIODEGRADATION; POLYCYCLIC aromatic hydrocarbons; SALT marshes; FATS &; oils; JUNCUS; WETLANDS; WEATHERING
- Publication
Water, Air & Soil Pollution, 2013, Vol 224, Issue 7, p1
- ISSN
0049-6979
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11270-013-1608-z