GASOLINE STANDARD 



oJMJJJUiUawJiJL- — ^ 



WATER -ACCOMMODATED 

 FRACTION 



JJi^ 



WATER SAMPLE FROM 

 STATION NO. 7 





u 



12 



13 



.^jIlUllMJjWJu^^ ,. 



Figure 2-3. — Gas chromatograms of a gasoline standard in hexane, a water- 

 accommodated fraction (WAF) of the gasoline standard, and a water sample from 

 station 7. The standards were run on a 30 m SE-S2 glass capillar) column. The 

 water sample was run on a 30 m OV-101 column. All analyses: 35 I' for 4 min, the 

 5°/mln to 250 X. 



ecological damage inflicted by the Ocean 250 spill. Nevertheless, it is 

 apparent from this study that gasoline from the Ocean 250 did 

 penetrate the marine water colmn in the vicinity of Watch Hill 

 Reef. Gasoline was found in several water samples, and the data 

 suggest that gasoline from the accident may have been accumulated 

 by organisms at a depth of up to 10 m. 



Acknowledgment. — The assistance of funding from the EPA 

 Grant No. R805477-02 is gratefully acknowledged. 



2.3 Hydrocarbon Analyses of Plankton Samples 



This section was prepared by E. 

 Quinn.* 



J. Hoffman 8 and J. G. 



Collection procedures. — Plankton tows were conducted 

 aboard RV Strider on 20 March 1978 (4 d after the Ocean 250 

 gasoline spill) within an area 3.2 x 2.4 km between Watch Hill 

 Point and Napatree Point, R.I. The station locations and location 

 of the grounding along with the gasoline hydrocarbon analysis 

 results of the water samples are given in Figure 2-5. The planktons 

 were collected with paired 61 cm diameter bongo frames fitted with 

 0.505 mm and 0.333 mm mesh nets towed in continuous double 

 oblique patterns for 15 min. The 0.333 mm mesh sample was split; 

 half of which was preserved for biological studies and the other 

 half, used for the hydrocarbon studies, was frozen until analyzed. 

 The 0.333 mm net was lost after four stations and the frame was 

 refitted with a 0.505 mm net. Thereafter, one 0.505 mm net sample 

 was split in the above manner and saved for hydrocarbon analyses. 

 The collection data is given in Table 2-3. 



Analytical procedure. — The plankton samples were thawed 

 and the seawater associated with the samples was removed by pass- 

 ing the sample through a 45 mm stainless steel sieve. The plankton 

 retained by the sieve were transferred to tared 50 ml centrifuge 

 tubes. The samples were not dried in order to prevent loss of 

 volatile gasoline components. (An estimate of the percentage 

 moisture was determined on three separate plankton samples col- 

 lected later especially for this purpose.) 



'Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, 

 Rl 02881. 



pounds. Obviously, if the gasoline compounds found in filter- 

 feeding bivalves in the present study were retained for extended 

 periods, they would have a greater potential to harm the organisms 

 and the consumers (including man). 



The toxicity of gasoline and its individual components to 

 marine organisms has been investigated through several laboratory 

 research efforts (Meinck et al. 1965; Crapp 1971; Brocksen and 

 Bailey 1973; Jacobsen and Baylou 1973; Yevich and Barszcz 1976), 

 but not much information is available concerning the envinronmen- 

 tal impact of spills of gasoline. Bugbee and Walter (1973) con- 

 ducted a biological survey along 21 km (13 mi) of Grace Coolidge 

 Creek (South Dakota) where 18.9 thousand liters (5,000 gal) of 

 aviation gasoline were spilled in November 1969. They found the 

 biological impact to be severe, and almost a full year was required 

 for nearly complete recovery. Because of the difficulties of ex- 

 trapolating laboratory toxicity tests to field situations and due to the 

 paucity of information concerning the impact of gasoline spills in 

 the environment, it is difficult to assess, or even estimate, the 



Table 2-3.— Plankton samples-collection data, Ocean 250 spill, 20 March 1978. 











Mesh size 



Station at 



Station at 



Time of 



Time of 



used for HC 



start of tow 1 



end of tow 



start 



"end 



analysis split 



213 



211 



0937 



0952 



0.333 



214 



215 



0956 



1011 



0.333 



215 



216 



1023 



1038 



0.333 



217 



210 



1050 



1105 



0.333 



212 



201 



1114 



1129 



■0.333 



208 



209 



1153 



1207 



0.505 



206 



218 



1221 



1236 



0.505 



205 



204 



1244 



1259 



0.505 



203 



202 



1309 



1324 



0.505 



'Station numbering system is organized as follows: The prefix of two 

 proceeding two digit station number refers to samples collected on the 3d leg of RV 

 Strider 78-01 . For example, 213 refers to a sample collected on 20 March 1978 (3d 

 leg) at station 13. (The text refers to the station at the beginning of the tow). 



'Sample lost during collection. 



