Hydrocarbons in Intertidal Sediments and Mussels from Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1977-1980: Characterization and Probable Sources.

摘要

The oil spill that resulted from the March 1989 grounding of the oil tanker vessel Exxon Valdez provides a unique opportunity for the study of marine oil pollution effects because the spilled crude oil polluted a large geographic area that was previously considered pristine. The only sources of confounding hydrocarbons in the areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska, impacted by the spill are naturally occurring hydrocarbons and anthropogenic hydrocarbons from occasional boating activity in the Sound or due to long-range atmospheric transport. The authors' objectives were to determine the levels, intra-annual variability, and interannual variability of selected alkane hydrocarbons and PAHs in intertidal sediments and in M. trossulus tissues at a network of sampling stations over the 4-year sampling period, and if possible to identify the likely sources of hydrocarbons found.