Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
Decadal Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Gulf of Mexico Reveals Exposure to Oil-Derived Sources
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2-2019
Publication Title
Environmental Science and Technology
ISSN
0013-936X
Volume
52
Issue/No.
19
First Page
10985
Last Page
10996
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.
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.
ORCID ID
0000-0002-5280-7071
DOI
10.1021/acs.est.8b02243
Comments
©2018 American Chemical Society