Aromatic hydrocarbons on surface waters of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

Abstract

Total aromatic hydrocarbons were measured for surface seawater at 24 points in Admiralty Bay, Antarctica, during the summers of 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1993, using the spectrofluorimetric method. The levels varied between 0.05 and 8.86 μg l −1, but the majority of the samples presented levels below 1.00 μg l −1, so there were no alarming oil inputs in the area. In 1992, one point in front of the Antarctica Station Comandante Ferraz was sampled with an automatic pre-concentration unit capable of processing large volumes of seawater for GC-MS analysis. This water sample presented a total aromatic content of 0.080 μg l −1. Main two-ring aromatic compounds quantified by GC-MS were naphthalene, acenaphthylene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene and acenaphthene. Of the three-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenanthrene contributes more than anthracene. Of the four-ring members, fluoranthene is more abundant than pyrene. Five-ring or six-ring members were not found. These individual levels and types of PAHs are typical of marine environments with small oil-derived hydrocarbons inputs.