EXTRACTABLE ORGANICS AND NONVOLATILE HYDROCARBONS IN NEW YORK HARBOR WATERS

Abstract

ABSTRACT In conjunction with the Marine Ecosystem Analysis program in the New York Bight, selected stations in New York Harbor were sampled during November 1974, and March and June 1975, for carbon tetrachloride-extractable organics and nonvolatile hydrocarbons. The extractable organics ranged from 64 to 840 µg/l with a mean value for the Harbor of 158 μg/l. The standard deviation, 2?, of the test method, based on duplicate samples, was 26 μg/l. The nonvolatile hydrocarbons ranged from 14 to 270 μg/l with a mean of 39 μg/l. The standard deviation, 2?, was 5 μg/l. The highest concentration of organics and hydrocarbons was found in Newtown Creek; the lowest at the entrance to Ambrose Channel. The average concentrations are about a factor of ten above those reported for the open ocean. The concentrations obtained on the three sampling dates did not differ widely. To help establish distribution patterns, ammonia, salinity, turbidity, and other measurements were made. In Arthur Kill, ammonia was constant at 50 μg-atoms N/l while the ratio of hydrocarbons to organics dropped from 0.29 at Newark Bay to 0.12 at Raritan Bay. This suggests that oxidation and/or adsorption of hydrocarbons onto particulates with subsequent settling took place.