HYDROCARBON DISTRIBUTIONS AROUND A SHALLOW-WATER MULTIWELL PLATFORM uri icon

abstract

  • Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in nearshore coastal sediments offshore of Matagorda, TX, average 29 28 (SD) ppb compared to 96 112 ppb for the sediments in adjacent coastal estuaries and bays. PAHs were analyzed in bottom sediments collected in the vicinity of a multiwell platform in ~25 m of water, where six wells had been drilled between May 1982 and November 1985. The most elevated PAH concentrations were restricted to within 25 m of the platform discharge point. Mean PAH concentrations for two samplings at 10 and 25 m from the platform were 494 251 and 757 1820 ppb, respectively. The contaminated platform sites (25 m distant) were dominated by two-ring aromatics while the estuarine/bay and noncontaminated coastal sites were dominated by four- and five-ring aromatic hydrocarbons. Phenanthrene/anthracene ratios suggest a petroleum source for the hydrocarbons at platform stations and pyrolytic sources for the bay/estuarine hydrocarbons. 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • BROOKS, J. M., KENNICUTT, M. C., WADE, T. L., HART, A. D., DENOUX, G. J., & MCDONALD, T. J.

citation count

  • 14

complete list of authors

  • BROOKS, JM||KENNICUTT, MC||WADE, TL||HART, AD||DENOUX, GJ||MCDONALD, TJ

publication date

  • July 1990