The Ocean Archive System searches our original datasets as they were submitted to us, not individual points or profiles. If you want to search and retrieve ocean profiles in a common format, or objectively analyzed fields, your better option may be to use one of our project applications. See: Access Data

OAS accession Detail for 0000054, meta_version: 9. Current meta_version is: 10
<< previous |revision: 9| next >>
accessions_id: 0000054 | archive
Title: Organic chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, sediments, and toxic metals collected in the Puget Sound on 01 June 1999 (NODC Accession 0000054)
Abstract: As a component of a three year cooperative effort of the Washington State Department of Ecology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sediments from 100 locations in northern Puget Sound were tested to determine their relative quality. The purpose of this survey was to determine the quality of sediments in terms of the severity, spatial patterns, and spatial extent of chemical contamination, toxicity, and alterations to benthic infauna. The survey area encompassed the region from Port Gardner Bay north to the US / Canada border, excluding the San Juan Islands. Surficial sediments were tested and analyzed from each of the 100 locations. Data from the chemical analyses indicated that toxicologically significant contamination was restricted in scope to a relatively small portion of the region. The spatial extent of relatively severe contamination varied considerably among chemicals; however, less than 2% of the area was considered contaminated for most substances. Sediments from several sampling locations within Everett Harbor often had the highest chemical concentrations. In addition, samples from some stations in Bellingham Bay and other locations scattered throughout the study area had elevated concentrations of some substances. Data from four kinds of toxicity tests indicated a similar pattern: the degree of toxicity was highest in samples from Everett Harbor followed by those from other locations scattered within the survey region. The spatial extent of significant toxicity ranged from 0% to 5% among the toxicity tests. Wide ranges in several numerical indices of benthic infaunal structure indicated good correspondence with tests of toxicity and the concentrations of numerous chemical substances. That is, there was evidence of altered benthic populations in some areas nearest urban centers. Chemical contamination and toxicity of sediments were less severe in northern Puget Sound than in many other estuarine areas studied in the U.S. by NOAA. Results from similar analyses of samples from the central Puget Sound (sampled in 1998) and southern Puget Sound (sampled in 1999) will be compiled with the data from northern Puget Sound, to provide a broad-scale evaluation and quantitation of the spatial scales and patterns in sediment quality throughout the entire region.
Date received: 20000217
Start date: 19970601
End date: 19970601
Seanames:
West boundary: -122.993367
East boundary: -122.2183
North boundary: 48.994983
South boundary: 47.968617
Observation types:
Instrument types:
Datatypes:
Submitter: Long, Dr. Edward R
Submitting institution: Washington State Department of Ecology
Collecting institutions:
Contributing projects:
Platforms:
Number of observations: 100
Supplementary information: The publication(s) listed below are related to the data collection and are available from the NOAA Central Library:

Sediment quality in Puget Sound. Year 1, northern Puget Sound, December 1999. Silver Spring, Md. : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment ; Olympia, Wash. : Washington State Dept. of Ecology, Environmental Assessment Program, Environmental Monitoring and Trends Section, [1999]. (NOAA Library catalog link, last accessed on 23 February 2009 at Sediment quality in Puget Sound. Year 1, northern Puget Sound, December 1999).


The potential for biological effects of sediment-sorbed contaminants tested in the National Status and Trends Program. Seattle, Wash. : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, [1990] (1991 printing). (NOAA Library catalog link, last accessed on 23 February 2009 at The potential for biological effects of sediment-sorbed contaminants tested in the National Status and Trends Program).
Availability date:
Metadata version: 9
Keydate: 2001-04-16 04:00:00+00
Editdate: 2016-07-27 12:46:49+00