title: Sediment-associated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal British Columbia, Canada: concentrations, composition, and associated risks to protected sea otters.
abstract: Sediment-associated hydrocarbons can pose a risk to wildlife that rely on benthic marine food webs. We measured hydrocarbons in sediments from the habitat of protected sea otters in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Alkane concentrations were dominated by higher odd-chain n-alkanes at all sites, indicating terrestrial plant inputs. While remote sites were dominated by petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), small harbour sites within sea otter habitat and sites from an urban reference area reflected weathered petroleum and biomass and fossil fuel combustion. The partitioning of hydrocarbons between sediments and adjacent food webs provides an important exposure route for sea otters, as they consume ∼25% of their body weight per day in benthic invertebrates. Thus, exceedences of PAH sediment quality guidelines designed to protect aquatic biota at 20% of the sites in sea otter habitat suggest that sea otters are vulnerable to hydrocarbon contamination even in the absence of catastrophic oil spills.
authors: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, PO Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada.
authors: Kate A
authors: KA
authors: Harris
authors: Mark B
authors: MB
authors: Yunker
authors: Neil
authors: N
authors: Dangerfield
authors: Peter S
authors: PS
authors: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001955:British Columbia; D056727:Endangered Species; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000032:analysis*; D010041:Otters; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical