National Benthic Surveillance Project: Pacific Coast. Part 2. Technical Presentation of the Results for Cycles 1 to 3 (1984-86)

摘要

The National Benthic Surveillance Project (NBSP) is designed to provide information on levels of chemical contaminants in surface sediments in coastal and estuarine areas, and the levels of these same contaminants (or their metabolites) in selected marine organisms. Information is also gathered on the prevalence of pollution-associated pathological conditions in representative bottomfish. The presence of selected chemical contaminants and certain pathological conditions in fish have become useful indicators of environmental degradation. Part II covers technical aspects of the Pacific Coast portion of the NBSP for the years 1984-86. Included are descriptions of sampling strategies and analytical methods, as well as a detailed presentation of the data. The Results and Discussion Section addresses the principal findings and compares them with those previously reported. Some information presented here may overlap with the Summary and Overview Section of Part I (Varanasi et al. 1988); however, the voluminous data produced in the study requires that information be presented in ways which allow for both a quick perusal in the Overview and a more detailed examination here.