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    • Organic chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, sediments, and toxic metals collected in the Puget Sound on 01 June 1999 (NCEI Accession 0000054)

    Metadata Updated: December 1, 2023

    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.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date 2023-03-19T17:48:08Z
    Metadata Created Date December 4, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) April 16, 2001 (publication), January 2, 2022 (revision)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date 2023-03-19T17:48:08Z
    Metadata Created Date December 4, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) April 16, 2001 (publication), January 2, 2022 (revision)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0000054
    Access Constraints Cite as: Long, Edward R; Washington State Department of Ecology (2001). Organic chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, sediments, and toxic metals collected in the Puget Sound on 01 June 1999 (NCEI Accession 0000054). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0000054. Accessed [date]., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -122.2183
    Bbox North Lat 48.994983
    Bbox South Lat 47.968617
    Bbox West Long -122.993367
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Preview graphic
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:0000054
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 27a9a3ad-850f-44fa-b0e8-87c93fb898e4
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-122.993367, 47.968617], [-122.2183, 47.968617], [-122.2183, 48.994983], [-122.993367, 48.994983], [-122.993367, 47.968617]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1997-06-01
    Temporal Extent End 1997-06-01

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