Beaufort Sea Monitoring Program: Analysis of Trace Metals and Hydrocarbons from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Activities. Final Report December 1987

摘要

A 3-year study was initiated in 1984 to develop and implement a monitoring program for evaluating potential impacts of anticipated offshore oil and gas exploration and production activities on the U.S. Beaufort Sea continental shelf. The program was designed to detect and quantify temporal changes in the concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons in sediments and animal tissues, and to relate such changes to oil and gas development activities. A set of null hypotheses was designed to evaluate the environmental impacts of the Beaufort Sea OCS oil and gas-related activities. Although sediment trace metals and hydrocarbons encompass a wide range of concentrations, there is no evidence that oil and gas activities have contaminated Beaufort Sea sediments or biota. In contrast to the elevated levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) in the sediments, concentrations in the animal tissues were detectable but very low, indicating that, although present in the sediments, PAH's are not readily bioavailable.