title: Monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a produced water disposal area in the Potiguar Basin, Brazilian equatorial margin.
abstract: The Potiguar Basin has oil and gas production fields offshore and onshore. All treated produced water (PW) from these fields is discharged through submarine outfalls. Although polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are minor constituents of PW, their input into the marine ecosystem is environmentally critical due to potential ecological hazards. A 2-year monitoring program was conducted in the vicinity of the outfalls to evaluate PAH bioaccumulation in marine life from PW discharges. The study was performed using transplanted bivalves Crassostrea brasiliana and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) to measure PAH concentrations via bioaccumulation and in seawater. The bioaccumulation of PAH in transplanted bivalves reached up to 1105 ng g(-1) in the vicinity of the monitored outfall. Significantly lower PAH concentrations were found in the reference area in comparison to the studied area around the outfalls. Time-integrated PAH concentrations in seawater ranged from 38 to 0.3 ng L(-1) near the outfalls and from 10 ng L(-1) to not detected in the reference area. Both measurement techniques were found to be effective for determining a gradient of descending PAH concentrations from the outfalls. In addition, this study also evaluated the bioavailability of PAH for local marine biota and provided information about the influence of PW discharges on the water quality of marine ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), Praça do Oceanográfico191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rafaell@usp.br.
authors.forename: Rafael André
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio), Rua Marques de São Vicente, 225, 22451-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fábio Francisco
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Miguez de Mello (Petrobras), Av. Horácio de Macedo, 950, 21941-915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Maximino
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio), Rua Marques de São Vicente, 225, 22451-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Haddad
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nudi
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio), Rua Marques de São Vicente, 225, 22451-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ângela
authors.initials: Â
authors.lastname: de Luca Rebello Wagener
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Miguez de Mello (Petrobras), Av. Horácio de Macedo, 950, 21941-915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Fátima Guadalupe Meniconi
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Miguez de Mello (Petrobras), Av. Horácio de Macedo, 950, 21941-915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eleine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Francioni
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Bivalves; PAH; Potiguar Basin; Produced water; SPMD; Tropical marine ecosystem