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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)

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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.
  • 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].
gov.noaa.nodc:0000054
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  • Originator data format
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Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 1997-06-01 to 1997-06-01
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -122.993367
East: -122.2183
South: 47.968617
North: 48.994983
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • The potential for biological effects of sediment-sorbed contaminants tested in the National Status and Trends Program / Edward R. Long and Lee G. Morgan; Seattle, Wash.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, 1990 (1991 printing)
  • Long, Edward R. Sediment quality in Puget Sound. Year 1, northern Puget Sound, December 1999; Year 1, northern Puget Sound, December 1999; Northern Puget Sound; National Status and Trends Program. NOAA technical memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA; no.139, Publication (Washington (State). Department of Ecology) no. 99-347. 1999
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2001-04-16
  • revision: 2022-01-02
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Supplemental 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].

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).
Purpose This dataset is available to the public for a wide variety of uses including scientific research and analysis.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • 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].
Cited Authors
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Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use 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].
Access Constraints
  • 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.
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  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2001-04-16T04:00:00Z - NCEI Accession 0000054 v1.1 was published.
  • 2013-03-13T15:01:26Z - NCEI Accession 0000054 was revised and v1.2 was published.
    Rationale: Additional metadata files were received or created for this dataset. These updates were copied into the about/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.
  • 2022-01-02T16:12:10Z - NCEI Accession 0000054 was revised and v1.3 was published.
    Rationale: Additional metadata files were received or created for this dataset. These updates were copied into the about/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • sediment sampler - corer
  • sediment sampler - grab
Last Modified: 2024-03-02T15:12:55Z
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