TP24 Delaware River / Bay
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM in Exhibit Hall

(EMS-1116-968239) Delaware River Refinery Effects Differentiated in Tissue, Sediment, and Dated Core Investigation.

Emsbo-Mattingly, S¹, Uhler, A¹, Hall, L², Burton, D², Alexander, C³, Liu, B¹, ¹ NewFields, Rockland, MA, USA² University of Maryland, Queenstown, MD, 21658³ Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, 31411

ABSTRACT- The assessment of refinery impacts on proximal and regional ecological systems poses many technical challenges. In this investigation, the integrated use of advanced chemistry, ecological risk assessment, and radiogenic dating helped distinguish discrete sources of PAHs from those associated with urban background. Here, a comprehensive evaluation of PAH sources was important because the refinery site was down river from a large metropolitan area and proximal to major shipping channels. The technical approach for this study employed many components including detailed hydrocarbon fingerprinting in horizontal, vertical, and temporal dimensions. In addition, the chemical signatures of sediments and selected biota were compared as part of the ecological risk assessment (sediment triad study). Principal components analysis (PCA) proved effective at comprehensively tracing refinery derived hydrocarbons in the river system. The results of this analysis helped identify the local distribution of refinery impacts to the zone where the PAHs were indistinguishable from urban background. Local variations in the background signatures were also observed and attributed to changes in local land use (urban, residential, rural, and wetland) that generally varied by watershed.

Key words: polycyclic aromatic hydorcarbons, petroleum refinery, urban background