Gathering data before oil arrives

http://www.keysnet.com/2010/05/27/223421/gathering-data-before-oil-arrives.html


Scientists testing for contamination throughout Gulf


The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sent three teams of scientists this week to test shellfish, sediment and water in 60 locations along the Gulf of Mexico from the Keys to the Brazos River in Texas.

The teams are trying to determine the extent of the damage caused by the ongoing British Petroleum DeepWater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf.

The scientists, part of NOAA’s Mussel Watch program, will collect additional baseline data on contamination in strategic areas of the Gulf shoreline so that if the oil hits a particular area, new samples can be taken that would reveal the full impact of the spill, according to a NOAA announceement.

These preliminary samples will be tested for 60 oil-related compounds — to include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, known as PAHs. NOAA will use this data as part of the natural-resources damage assessment that determines the type and amount of restoration that is required for the Gulf.

Mussel Watch has been monitoring contamination along the nation’s coasts for more than 25 years, and has long-term data on the Gulf of Mexico that will also be used to assess the effects of the oil spill. The program’s name refers to scientists’ use of shellfish to test for ambient contamination. When shellfish feed, they filter water through their bodies. Any contaminants present in the water concentrate in their tissues. This gives researchers a good idea of what is present in the water and also what is entering the food chain.

Using small boats close to shore, or in some cases wading through water to pry shellfish off of shallow reefs, scientists have been working 12 hours or more each day to collect samples before oiling occurs.

“We are working virtually non-stop to ensure we’re prepared for any scenario,” Terry McTigue, one of the Mussel Watch researchers, said in a statement. “We have to keep going, making sure we are maintaining the scientific integrity of our samples.”

Oil from the BP spill has a unique chemical “fingerprint” of constituent PAHs and other compounds that should allow Mussel Watch researchers to distinguish contamination from the spill from that coming from other sources.
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