Naphthalenes, Phenanthrenes, and Chrysenes in Northwest Florida Continental Shelf Sediments, May-June 2010

Three transects were established with stations at 5 mile intervals to cover the shelf and the head of DeSoto Canyon from the shoreline out to 3-400 ft depth: due south of Pensacola FL, due south of Destin FL, and running SSW from Panama City FL. Funding and shiptime was provided by the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) with the R/V Bellows and the R/V Weatherbird. Samples from the Pensacola Transect were also taken on a cruise during June of 2010 during the oil spill event. Triplicate Shipek® grab samples of sediments were taken during monthly cruises with surface layers collected as composite samples. Sediments were extracted using standard techniques, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified as Napthalenes, Phenanthrenes, and Chrysenes by GCMS using 13C standards.