Abstract
As part of the effort to understand the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWHOS), we analyzed tissue from five species of midwater oceanic cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) during three time periods, including one period sampled fortuitously just before the spill (2010), and two periods sampled after the spill (2011 and 2015-2016). The species, Japetella diaphana, Abralia redfieldi, Histioteuthis corona, Leachia atlantica, and Onychoteuthis banksii were collected in three geographic areas in the GoM (east, south and southeast of the Macondo wellhead). Results indicate a shift in the composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the tissue of all cephalopods after 2010, with a more petrogenic source in 2011 that weathered and mixed with other sources in 2015-2016. Overall, PAH concentrations, as well as lipid content, were lower in 2011 relative to 2010 and 2015-2016, suggesting secondary effects to oil-residues exposure from the DWHOS. Collectively, PAHs in the tissues of deep-sea cephalopods indicate an episodic exposure to petrogenic PAHs that occurred between 2010 (pre-spill) and 2011, and continued through 2015-2016.
Highlights
Ecosystem-based management of the oceans relies heavily on continuous observations, essential for distinguishing natural variability from anthropogenic changes
%lipid content varied significantly among the species studied, a similar temporal trend was observed with lower %lipid content in 2011 for all species sampled in this year (p < 0.05; J. diaphana: 4.0 ± 0.8%; A. redfieldi: 7.2 ± 1.6%; H. corona: 11.8 ± 1.3%; L. atlantica: 5.6 ± 0.6%; and O. banksii: 6.1 ± 0.5%; Figure 3)
Due to the differences found in %lipid content among the species studied, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were calculated as lipid-normalized concentrations
Summary
Ecosystem-based management of the oceans relies heavily on continuous observations, essential for distinguishing natural variability from anthropogenic changes. Epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic environments generally lack such studies. This was highlighted in 2010 by the absence of baseline data during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Effects to marine communities were observed as carbon from the DWHOS entered the planktonic and mesopelagic food webs, and oilderived toxic compounds were found to correlate with elevated skin lesions in bottom-dwelling offshore fishes (Graham et al, 2010; Chanton et al, 2012; Murawski et al, 2014; QuintanaRizzo et al, 2015). The potential consequences of the DWHOS on deep-pelagic invertebrates are yet to be determined, as exposure to oil-derived toxic compounds has not been previously studied in invertebrates from the pelagic domain of the GoM
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