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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Chromatographic Fingerprinting by Template Matching for Data Collected by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography
Published on: September 2, 2020
Source allocation by least-squares hydrocarbon fingerprint matching.
William A Burns1, Stephen M Mudge, A Edward Bence
1W. A. Burns Consulting Services LLC, Houston, Texas, University of Wales-Bangor, Anglesey, UK USA. wburns@alum.mit.edu
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Prince William Sound originate from various sources, not primarily coal. This study confirms low coal contributions, impacting environmental damage assessments after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Geochemistry
- Petroleum Geochemistry
Background:
- Controversy exists regarding the sources of natural polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and chemical biomarkers in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska.
- These sources, including coal, natural seep oil, shales, and stream sediments, influence bioavailability and environmental damage assessments.
- The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill highlighted the importance of understanding background hydrocarbon origins in PWS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare two source apportionment methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomarkers in Prince William Sound.
- To investigate the impact of increasing coal source samples on coal attribution.
- To clarify the origins of natural hydrocarbon and biomarker background in PWS.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a dataset of 136 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomarkers.
- Employed and compared constrained least-squares (CLS) and partial least-squares (PLS) source allocation methods.
- Expanded the field dataset to include additional coal samples from external reports.
Main Results:
- The constrained least-squares (CLS) method demonstrated a better fit to geologic and chemical constraints compared to partial least-squares (PLS).
- Increasing the number of coal source samples did not significantly increase coal attributions.
- CLS fits confirmed previous findings indicating minimal contributions from coal to the PWS hydrocarbon background.
Conclusions:
- Source apportionment using CLS is a robust method for analyzing hydrocarbon origins.
- Coal is a minor contributor to the natural polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and biomarker background in Prince William Sound.
- Accurate source identification is crucial for reliable environmental damage assessments.
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