Environ. Sci. Technol. 1999, 33, 34-42
Natural Hydrocarbon Background in Benthic Sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs Coal J E F F R E Y W . S H O R T , * ,† KEITH A. KVENVOLDEN,‡ PAUL R. CARLSON,‡ FRANCES D. HOSTETTLER,‡ ROBERT J. ROSENBAUER,‡ AND BRUCE A. WRIGHT† Auke Bay Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 11305 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801-8626, and U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 999, Menlo Park, California 94025
The source of the background hydrocarbons in benthic sediments of Prince William Sound (PWS), AK, where the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) occurred, has been ascribed to oil seeps in coastal areas of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). We present evidence that coal is a more plausible source, including (i) high concentrations of total PAH (TPAH), between 1670 and 3070 ng/g, in continental shelf sediments adjacent to the coastal region containing extensive coal deposits; (ii) PAH composition patterns of sediments along with predictive models that are consistent with coal but not oil; (iii) low ratios (
