W11 AM Environmental Chemical Forensics
Wednesday, 16 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 343-344

(LIE-1117-836137) Multivariate analysis of PCB congeners found in Maryland fish: PCB advection and dispersal of fishes.

Liebert, D¹, Baker, J¹, ¹ University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, MD, USA

ABSTRACT- Fish tissues from Maryland were monitored for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination beginning in 1999. Levels of PCBs in fish supported consumption advisories of no more than two meals per month in four primary areas, Patapsco River, Northern Chesapeake Bay, Back River, and Potomac River. We used PCB congener patterns in these fish and associated sediments to differentiate among the sources of PCBs to the fish. Principal components analysis showed that PCB congener patterns varied spatially. Cluster analysis was used to demonstrate that fish collected at adjacent sites had the most similar congener patterns. A source apportionment model, Positive Matrix Factorization, was used to assess the influence of each source of PCBs to the fish. This study focused on three species of varying mobility. These included anadromous striped bass, semi-anadromous white perch, and residential catfish. Application of the multivariate analysis to the three datasets revealed that mobility is a factor in the strength of the spatial signals. Specifically, the smaller a species' home range, the greater the influence of the local PCB source on a fish's PCB congener signature. This work demonstrates the utility of such monitoring data for the investigation of contaminant dispersal patterns as well as revealing ecological behavior.

Key words: PCBs, fish, multivariate statistics, Chesapeake Bay