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Title: Hydrocarbon studies in Puget Sound and off the Washington coast. Report of progress, March 1978-February 1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6196831

This report summarizes the past year's progress in studies of the amounts, types and probable origins of aliphatic, aromatic, S- and N-containing hydrocarbons in sediments, organisms, and waters of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. We are trying to identify the relative importance of the various possible sources of these substances, the major pathways by which they are transferred through some parts of the marine food web, their rates of transfer, and their ultimate fates. We have found that changes in aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon compositions are evident in /sup 210/Pb-dated sediment cores from central Puget Sound. These changes are due both to natural diagenetic processes and to low-level inputs of fossil fuels from a variety of sources. We have found measurable amounts of both S- and N-containing compounds in these Puget Sound sediments. Our studies of the role of zooplankton fecal pellets in the cycling of trace chemicals in the sea have shown that fecal pellets are an important vertical transport agent for hydrocarbons in the sea. We now have defined the natural variations in /sup 14/C and /sup 13/C//sup 12/C isotope ratios of the inorganic carbon in Puget Sound seawater. Carbon isotope abundances for organisms and sediments are also reported for selected sites. 60 references, 10 figures.

Research Organization:
Washington Univ., Seattle (USA). Dept. of Oceanography
DOE Contract Number:
AT06-76EV70040
OSTI ID:
6196831
Report Number(s):
DOE/EV/70040-T1; ON: DE85001682
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English