Aquatic surface microlayer contamination in chesapeake bay

• Published in: Marine chemistry 1990, Vol.28 (4), p.333-351
• Main Authors: Hardy, John T., Crecelius, Eric A., Antrim, Liam D., Kiesser, Steven L., Broadhurst, Virginia L., Boehm, Paul D., Steinhauer, William G., Coogan, Theodore H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0304-4203; 1872-7581
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-4203(90)90052-E

The aquatic surface microlayer (SMIC), ∼50 μm thick, serves as a concentration point for metal and organic contaminants that have low water solubility or are associated with floatable particles. Also, the eggs and larvae of many fish and shellfish species float on, or come in contact with, the water surface throughout their early development. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the present degree of aquatic surface microlayer pollution at selected sites in Chesapeake Bay, and (2) to provide a preliminary evaluation of sources contributing to any observed contamination. Twelve stations located in urban bays, major rivers, and the north central bay were sampled three times, each at ∼5-day intervals during May 1986. Samples of 1.4–4.1 each were collected from the upper 30–60-μm water surface (surface microlayer, SMIC) using a Teflon-coated rotating drum microlayer sampler. One sample of subsurface water was collected in the central bay. At all stations, concentrations of metals, alkanes, and aromatic hydrocarbons in the SMIC were high compared with one bulk-water sample and with typical concentrations in water of Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere. SMIC contamination varied greatly among the three sampling times, but high mean contaminant levels (total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1.9–6.2 μg 1 −1; Pb, 4.9–24 μg 1 −1; Cu, 4–16 μg 1 −1; and Zn, 34–59 μg 1 −1) were found at the upper Potomac and northern bay sites. Three separate areas were identified on the basis of relative concentrations of different aromatic hydrocarbons in SMIC samples - the northern bay, the Potomac River, and the cleaner southern and eastern portions of the sampling area. Suspected sources of surface contamination include gasoline and diesel fuel combustion, coal combustion, and petroleum product releases. Concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons, at approximately half the stations sampled, are sufficient to pose a threat to the reproductive stages of some fish and shellfish. Sampling and analysis of the surface microlayer provides a sensitive tool for source identification and monitoring of potentially harmful aquatic pollution.