Mapping the extent and relative toxicity of sediments, Winter Quarters Bay, Antarctica

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:398201

Crockett, A; White, G ^[1]; Huynh, H ^[2]

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1. Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
2. Microbics Corp., Carlsbad, CA (United States)

McMurdo Station was established in the mid 1950s and is the largest research station in Antarctica. In earlier days, wastes were dumped on the steep shores of Winter Quarters Bay, dosed with up to 19,000 L of diesel or jet fuel and ignited. Along with periodic fuel spills, and the discharge of raw sewage the Bay became littered with trash and contaminated with elevated levels of metals, PCBs and petroleum hydrocarbons. The original benthic community was essentially totally replaced with more opportunistic species. In 1993, a study was initiated to map the distribution of PCB and hydrocarbon contamination as well as determine sediment pore water toxicity. Sediments were collected from over forty locations with an Ekman dredge after drilling through about 210 cm of ice. Maps of sediment particle size distribution, percent organic carbon, total PCBs, total petroleum hydrocarbons, etc. were developed. Potential toxicity was mapped by normalizing the data to 1 percent organic carbon and comparing the data with various sediment quality criteria. While onsite sediment pore water toxicity tests showed essentially no impacts, the new Microtox{trademark} chronic bioassay on both pore water and solvent extra showed considerable toxic effects. This paper compares the relative levels of contamination, with sediment quality criteria and toxicity as determined by a chronic microbial bioassays.

• OSTI ID: 398201
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ANTARCTICA
BAYS
BIOASSAY
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
DIESEL FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
INTERSTITIAL WATER
JET ENGINE FUELS
METALS
MUNICIPAL WASTES
OIL SPILLS
PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
SEDIMENTS
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION