Application of Passive Samplers to Monitor PAH Concentrations in Water Column and Sediment Porewater in the Gulf of Mexico, 2011

Passive samplers were deployed on September 26th and 27th and retrieved on October 22nd and 23rd, 2011, at 40 locations in oil-impacted areas in the Gulf of Mexico to monitor PAH concentration in the water column and sediment porewater. The areas sampled included Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Forty low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and 19 polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were deployed in sediments and 40 LPDE and 40 SemiPermeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) were deployed in the water column. Additional samplers were deployed in Sarasota Bay, FL as control. During deployment and retrieval water quality parameters including pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and depth were recorded. Samples collected by LPDEs and SPMDs were analyzed in the laboratory for 37 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while samples collected using PDMSs were analyzed for 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.