Decadal Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Gulf of Mexico Reveals Exposure to Oil-Derived Sources

Authors

Isabel C. Romero, University of South Florida
Tracey Sutton, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Brigid Carr, University of South Florida
Ester Quintana-Rizzo, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium
Steve W. Ross, University of North Carolina
David J. Hollander, University of North Carolina
Joseph J. Torres, University of South Florida

ORCID

0000-0002-5280-7071

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Environmental Science and Technology

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

10-2-2019

Abstract

This study characterizes a decadal assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the muscle tissues of mesopelagic fish species as indicators of the environmental health of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) deep-pelagic ecosystem. Mesopelagic fishes were collected prior to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill (2007), immediately post-spill (2010), 1 year after the spill (2011), and 5–6 years post-spill (2015–2016) to assess if the mesopelagic ecosystem was exposed to, and retained, PAH compounds from the DWH spill. Results indicated that a 7- to 10-fold increase in PAHs in fish muscle tissues occurred in 2010–2011 (4972 ± 1477 ng/g) compared to 2007 (630 ± 236 ng/g). In 2015–2016, PAH concentrations decreased close to the levels measured in 2007 samples (827 ± 138 ng/g); however, the composition of PAHs still resembles a petrogenic source similar to samples collected in 2010–2011. PAH composition in muscle samples indicated that natural sources (e.g., Mississippi River and natural seeps) or spatial variability within the GoM do not explain the temporal variability of PAHs observed from 2007 to 2016. Furthermore, analysis of different fish tissues indicated the dietary intake and maternal transfer of PAHs as the primary mechanisms for bioaccumulation in 2015–2016, explaining the elevated levels and composition of PAHs in ovarian eggs.

DOI

10.1021/acs.est.8b02243

Volume

52

Issue

19

First Page

10985

Last Page

10996

Comments

©2018 American Chemical Society

Additional Comments

US Geological Survey Cooperative Agreement #: 05HQAG009, sub-agreement 05099HS004; NSF grant #: OCE-1047693

NSUWorks Citation

Isabel C. Romero, Tracey Sutton, Brigid Carr, Ester Quintana-Rizzo, Steve W. Ross, David J. Hollander, and Joseph J. Torres. 2019. Decadal Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Gulf of Mexico Reveals Exposure to Oil-Derived Sources .Environmental Science and Technology , (19) : 10985 -10996. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/1059.