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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis
Published on: December 16, 2016
PAH contamination of western Irish Sea sediments
M Charlesworth1, M Service, C E Gibson
1Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science, The Queens University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BR9 5PX, Northern Ireland, UK. m.charlesworth@qub.ac.uk
Abstract:
Concentrations of the sum of 15 PAHs in 22 surficial sediment samples from the western Irish Sea ranged from below 100 ng g(-1) in sandy sediments to a maximum of 1422 ng g(-1) in the centre of the mud basin. The concentrations are typical of coastal shelf sediments, but greater than those observed for aquatic sediments remote from known anthropogenic sources. Organic C and the % sediment <15 microm were positively correlated with sigmaPAH. sigmaPAH was normalised to organic C and particle size (i.e. expressed as sigmaPAH/C(org) and sigmaPAH/% < 15 microm) and significant relationships were still observed with organic C and % < 15 microm. The results are discussed in the context of using organic C to normalise concentrations of PAHs to assess contamination levels in sediments.
