Sediment Quality in Puget Sound Year 2 - Center for Coastal ...
Sediment Quality in Puget Sound Year 2 - Center for Coastal ...
Sediment Quality in Puget Sound Year 2 - Center for Coastal ...
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en<strong>for</strong>cement studies. Seven additional compounds were automatically quantified by Manchester<br />
Environmental Laboratory dur<strong>in</strong>g analysis <strong>for</strong> the required compounds. Analytical procedures<br />
provided per<strong>for</strong>mance equivalent to those of the NS&T Program and the PSEP Protocols,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g those <strong>for</strong> analyses of blanks and standard reference materials. In<strong>for</strong>mation was<br />
reported on recovery of spiked blanks, analytical precision with standard reference materials, and<br />
duplicate analyses of every 20th sample.<br />
The laboratory analytical methods and report<strong>in</strong>g limits <strong>for</strong> quantitation of the 157 chemistry<br />
parameters analyzed <strong>for</strong> are summarized <strong>in</strong> Table 3 and described <strong>in</strong> detail below. Methods and<br />
resolution levels <strong>for</strong> field collection of temperature and sal<strong>in</strong>ity are <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> Table 4.<br />
Gra<strong>in</strong> Size<br />
Analysis <strong>for</strong> gra<strong>in</strong> size was per<strong>for</strong>med accord<strong>in</strong>g to the PSEP Protocols (PSEP, 1986). The PSEP<br />
gra<strong>in</strong> size method is a sieve-pipette method. In this method, the sample is passed through a<br />
series of progressively smaller sieves, with each fraction be<strong>in</strong>g weighed. After this separation,<br />
the very f<strong>in</strong>e material rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g is placed <strong>in</strong>to a column of water, and allowed to settle. Aliquots<br />
are removed at measured <strong>in</strong>tervals, and the amount of material <strong>in</strong> each settl<strong>in</strong>g fraction is<br />
measured. This parameter was contracted by Manchester to Hart Crowser, Seattle, Wash<strong>in</strong>gton.<br />
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)<br />
Total organic carbon analysis was per<strong>for</strong>med accord<strong>in</strong>g to PSEP Protocols (PSEP, 1986). The<br />
method <strong>in</strong>volves dry<strong>in</strong>g sediment material, pretreatment and subsequent oxidation of the dried<br />
sediment, and determ<strong>in</strong>ation of C02 by <strong>in</strong>fra-red spectroscopy.<br />
Metals<br />
To ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> compatibility with previous PSAMP metals data, EPA Methods 305016010 were<br />
used <strong>for</strong> the determ<strong>in</strong>ation of metals <strong>in</strong> sediment. Method 3050 is a strong acid (aqua regia)<br />
digest that has been used <strong>for</strong> the last several years by Ecology <strong>for</strong> the characterization of<br />
sediments <strong>for</strong> trace metal contam<strong>in</strong>ation. Method 3050 is also the recommended digestion<br />
technique <strong>for</strong> digestion of sediments <strong>in</strong> the recently revised PSEP protocols (PSEP, 1996~). This<br />
digestion does not yield geologic (total) recoveries <strong>for</strong> most analytes <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g silicon, iron,<br />
alum<strong>in</strong>um and manganese. It does, however, recover quantitatively most anthropogenic metals<br />
contam<strong>in</strong>ation and deposition.<br />
For comparison with NOAA's national bioeffects survey's exist<strong>in</strong>g database, Manchester<br />
simultaneously per<strong>for</strong>med a total (hydrofluoric acid-based) digestion (EPA method 3052) on<br />
portions of the same samples. Determ<strong>in</strong>ation of metals values <strong>for</strong> both sets of extracts were<br />
made via ICP, ICP-MS, or GFAA, us<strong>in</strong>g a variety of EPA methods (Table 3) depend<strong>in</strong>g upon the<br />
appropriateness of the technique <strong>for</strong> each analyte.<br />
Mercury<br />
Mercury was determ<strong>in</strong>ed by USEPA Method 245.5, mercury <strong>in</strong> sediment by cold vapor atomic<br />
absorption (CVAA). The method consists of a strong acid sediment digestion, followed by<br />
reduction of ionic mercury to ~ g', and analysis of mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption.<br />
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