HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION ON THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA .2. ARTHUR HARBOR INTERTIDAL AND SUBTIDAL LIMPETS (NACELLA-CONCINNA)

Accidental and operational releases of hydrocarbons during activities in support of scientific bases in the Antarctic can contaminate organisms in close proximity to these locations. Intertidal and subtidal limpets in Arthur Harbor were found to contain elevated levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons near Palmer and Old Palmer Stations. Contamination was highest in the intertidal and decreased with increasing water depth in the subtidal. The highest concentrations of tissue contamination were found in intertidal areas associated with high levels of onshore soil contamination. Limpets (Nacella concinna) preferentially incorporated the more water soluble aromatic compounds suggesting exposure to dissolved contaminants in run-off rather than particulates or slicks. This was in contrast to subtidal sediments that were primarily contaminated with freshly spilled diesel fuel. While contamination was present near stations, the concentrations observed are 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the initial contamination caused by the Bahia Paraiso diesel fuel spill in 1989.