Hydrocarbons in oil residues on beaches of islands of Prince William Sound, Alaska

Abstract

Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were measured on oil residues from beaches on six islands in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In addition to altered products from the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, we also found, at two widely separated locations, residues that are similar to each other but chemically distinct from the spilled oil. Terpanes, steranes, monoaromatic steranes, and carbon isotopic compositions of total extracts were most useful in correlating the altered products of the spilled oil. These same parameters revealed that the two non-Valdez samples are likely residues of oil originally produced in California. The results indicate that oil residues currently on the beaches of this estuary have at least two quite different origins.

A principal‐component and least‐squares method for allocating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment to multiple sources

“…A similar set of PAH sources was reported in subtidal sediment samples collected for state and federal governments in the Exxon Valdez spill zone [4] and in biological samples reported in the federal government database PWSOIL as well as in tissue analyses reported to the ad hoc Oil Spill Health Task Force formed after the spill by state and federal agencies and Exxon [5]. Others [6] report finding isolated patches of Monterey (California, USA) tar on Prince William Sound shores, a material imported to Alaska prior to the development of the North Slope oil fields. Identifying PAH sources and determining their relative contributions is necessary to properly interpret the fate of the spilled oil and its biological effects.…”

Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from buried shoreline oil residues thirteen years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: A multispecies assessment

“…The PAH assemblage in lower intertidal sediments at most oiled sites is depleted in alkyl naphthalenes and alkyl dibenzothiophenes, reflecting a low‐sulfur, non‐EVOS hydrocarbon component. Potential non‐EVOS petrogenic contributors include Monterey (CA, USA) tars [31], kerogen particles and seep residues from the natural background derived from the eastern Gulf of Alaska [25], and low‐sulfur refined products including diesel fuel [30].…”

Study of 22-Year-Old Arrow Oil Samples Using Biomarker Compounds by GC/MS

“…But, for highly degraded oil such as Arrow oil samples, the n-alkanes and branched alkanes could be completely lost, and PAHs and their alkyl homologues could be highly degraded. In such cases, identification through the recognition of n-alkanes and/ or the PAH distribution pattern would suffer great difficulties, and analysis of biomarker compounds would be not only necessary but also particularly important and valuable because only these highly degradation-resistant compounds remain in samples after long-term weathering and can give chemical fingerprinting information of the source, degree of weathering, characteristics, and fate of the spilled oil (8)(9)(10)(11)(12).…”