Chlorinated hydrocarbons in the seawater and surface sediments of Blanca Bay,Argentina |
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Authors: | JoséLuis Sericano Adan E Pucci |
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Institution: | Marine Chemistry Laboratory, Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), Avda. Alem 53, (8000) Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, República Argentina |
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Abstract: | In order to characterize our study area and to provide reference values to be used in the future to measure the changes produced by an increase in contamination, the concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons have been investigated in fifty-one samples of seawater, taken at four different depths: air-sea interface, surface, one metre and bottom waters, and in twenty-three samples of surface sediments from Blanca Bay, Argentina. Of eleven organochlorine compounds we were looking for (α BHC, lindane, heptachlor, δ BHC. aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, o-p′DDD, p-p′DDD, o-p′DDT and p-p′DDT), seven could be detected in seawater and three in surface sediments with the following mean concentrations: α-BHC=48·2 ng l?1; lindane=54·2 ng l?1; heptachlor=45·0 ng l?1; δ BHC=12·5 ng l?1; aldrin=61·8 ng l?1 and ΣDDT=67·0 ng l?1; and δ BHC=3·2 ng g?1; lindane=4·2 ng g?1 and heptachlor=1·0 ng g?1 for seawater, regarding the surface waters, and sediment samples, respectively.Concentration factors among the different water layers were also studied to see if there was any correlation between chlorinated hydrocarbon contents and the water depths from which the samples were taken. As a mean value, the air-sea interface water contains 18 times more of these compounds than that of the water near the bottom. A comparison of the values corresponding to seawater and surface sediments from our study area with those levels measured in samples from other geographic locations is also presented.With the purpose to detect a relationship between chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations and the contents of particulate matter (PM) on the one hand, and particulate organic material (POM) on the other hand, four groups of samples containing different amounts of PM and POM, respectively were formed. From a comparison of the results obtained, lindane, heptachlor and δ BHC showed a tendency to lower concentrations in those samples containing little PM whereas α BHC and aldrin remained without important changes. No significant correlation was found between organochlorine levels and contents of POM. |
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Keywords: | organic pesticides pollution distribution aire-water interface surface water bottom waters sediments Argentina |
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