title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations across the Florida Panhandle continental shelf and slope after the BP MC 252 well failure.
abstract: The Florida Panhandle continental shelf environment was exposed to oil from the BP oil well failure in the Gulf of Mexico during 2010. Floating mats of oil were documented by satellite, but the distribution of dissolved components of the oil in this region was unknown. Shipek® grab samples of sediments were taken during repeated cruises between June 2010 and June 2012 to test for selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as indicators of this contamination. Sediments were collected as composite samples, extracted using standard techniques, and PAHs were quantified by GC/MS-SIM. PAHs in samples from the continental slope in May 2011 were highest near to the failed well site and were reduced in samples taken one year later. PAHs from continental shelf sediments during the spill (June 2010) ranged from 10 to 165 ng g(-1). Subsequent cruises yielded variable and reduced amounts of PAHs across the shelf. The data suggest that PAHs were distributed widely across the shelf, and their subsequent loss to background levels suggests these compounds were of oil spill origin. PAH half-life estimates by regression were 70-122 days for slope and 201 days for shelf stations.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States. Electronic address: rsnyder@uwf.edu.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ederington-Hagy
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Fredrick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hileman
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amick
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carruth
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Head
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tominack
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States.
authors.forename: Wade H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005431:Florida; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D060851:Gulf of America; D006207:Half-Life; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: BP oil spill; Gulf of Mexico; PAH; Sediment