Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) transport by suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the lower Columbia River and its estuary

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  • This study aims to improve knowledge of how suspended particulate matter (SPM) affects hydrophobic contaminant transport in the lower Columbia River and its estuary, using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model compounds. It is hypothesized that PAHs are transported to the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM), a prime feeding zone in the Columbia estuary, where organisms encounter and consume contaminants adhered to particles as part of their diet. During a CMOP (Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Protection) cruise aboard the RV Barnes in August 2007, water samples were collected from sites throughout this study region. In addition, bi-monthly water samples were collected over a one-year period in coordination with the USGS NASQAN program. The PAH content and composition was analyzed in all samples and interpreted in perspective with the SPM concentration and particulate organic carbon content of the SPM. Results show that the dominant source of PAH to the study region is a characteristic suite of compounds derived from high temperature combustion. Perylene, a compound of yet to be determined natural origin, represents a PAH of comparable quantitative significance. These compounds are transported via riverborne SPM to the estuary and hydrodynamically trapped in the ETM with the trapping process operating somewhat differently between the two sources. The concentration of individual combustion PAHs measured in SPM from the Columbia River and its estuary exceed the thresholds of concern stipulated by environmental protection policies. Surprisingly, measured PAH levels are similar to those measured in other, far more industrialized river and estuarine systems around the world.
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