One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill accident, semipermeable membrane devices
(SPMDs) and polyethylene devices (PEDs) were deployed
in wetland areas and coastal areas of the Gulf
of Mexico (GOM) to monitor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs). The measured PAH levels with the
PEDs in coastal areas were 0.05–1.9 ng/L in water and
0.03–9.7 ng/L in sediment porewater.With the SPMDs,
the measured PAH levels in wetlands (Barataria Bay)
were 1.4–73 ng/L in water and 3.3–107 ng/L in
porewater. The total PAH concentrations in the coastal
areas were close to the reported baseline PAH concentrations
in GOM; however, the total PAH concentrations
in the wetland areas were one or two orders of magnitude
higher than those reported in the coastal areas. In
light of the significant spatial variability of PAHs in the
Gulf’s environments, baseline information on PAHs
should be obtained in specific areas periodically.
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Environ Monit Assess (2015) 187: 646
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