| Popis: |
As analytic instruments and methods have improved over the decades, so too, have insights into the fate and behavior of oil–water mixtures. Particularly relevant are understanding and documenting oil phase signatures that, while yielding forensic insights in our early studies, have led to the recent development of phase-specific methods appropriate for the forensic study of oiled water. The forensic applications of these methods include source matching, weathering, deconfounding background contaminants, distinguishing dissolved and particulate phases within whole water samples, and documenting chemical dispersant effects on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) profiles. These methods, when collectively applied to deep-sea water of the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, were used to ultimately track the subsurface plume of DWH-impacted water 412 km across the Gulf of Mexico to a final sample confirmed with only a trace dissolved-PAH pattern and supporting information. |
