naa a22 4500 510752845 CHVBK 20180411083111.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20131101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11270-013-1756-1 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11270-013-1756-1 Evidence that the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Caused a Change in the Nickel, Chromium, and Lead Average Seasonal Concentrations Occurring in Sea Bottom Sediment Collected from the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelf Between the Years 2009 and 2011 [Elektronische Daten] [David Steffy, Alfred Nichols, L. Morgan, Rachael Gibbs] Preliminary analysis indicates a change with time in nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) concentrations in sea bottom sediment samples which were collected during the falls of 2009, 2010, and 2011 along the continental shelf of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. These samples bracket the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill which occurred during the spring and summer of 2010. The sea bottom samples were collected as part of the recurring NOAA small pelagics survey of the continental shelf from Texas to Florida. A Shipek grab sampler was used to retrieve 37 sediment samples from the upper 15cm of the sea bottom for analysis from the carbonate platform off of the west coast of Florida and relict sand off of the coast of Alabama. The samples were analyzed for six trace metals, Ni, Cr, Pb, vanadium (V), thallium (Tl), and mercury (Hg). The silt/clay fraction of the sediment had the highest adsorption affinity for Ni, Pb, and Tl metals relative to V, Cr, and Hg. A comparative analysis of the trace metal concentrations indicates that there is a statistically significant (at p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) increase in Ni, Cr, and Pb concentrations in sea bottom sediment 3months after the oil spill. One year later, however, the 2011 samples indicate that Ni, Cr, and Pb significantly decreased (at p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) in comparison to 2010. Vanadium did not statistically change from 2009 to 2011. Crude oil is known to contain V and Ni, and the V-Ni ratio (V/V+Ni) has been used as a fingerprint for the Macondo crude oil source. The V-Ni ratios for the sediment sampling years 2009, 2010, and 2011 were 0.52, 0.46, and 0.57, respectively. In this study, approximately 1year and 3months after the oil spill, there is evidence, such as the V-Ni ratio, that trace metal concentrations in sea bottom sediment are approaching pre-spill levels. We conclude these differences in Ni concentrations, and the V-Ni ratios are an effective means of monitoring the impact of an oil spill and the use of dispersants to alleviate the spill impact. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2013 Trace metal nationallicence Dispersant nationallicence Tarball nationallicence Oil spill nationallicence Steffy David Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut Nichols Alfred Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut Morgan L. Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut Gibbs Rachael Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Springer Netherlands 224/11(2013-11-01), 1-11 0049-6979 224:11<1 2013 224 11270 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1756-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1756-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Steffy David Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nichols Alfred Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Morgan L. Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gibbs Rachael Department of Physical and Earth Sciences, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd. N, 36265-1602, Jacksonville, AL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Springer Netherlands 224/11(2013-11-01), 1-11 0049-6979 224:11<1 2013 224 11270 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer