Geoscience Australia's marine survey S282 collected sediment samples from the Arafura Sea to detect evidence of hydrocarbon seepage. The dataset documents a variety of organic contaminants, including fatty acid amides, chemical antioxidants, and UV absorbers, introduced during sampling and handling. It identifies specific contamination sources, such as plastic sampling bags and sunscreen, which are critical for interpreting geochemical signals.
Use Cases
- Identify contamination sources in geochemical samples based on detected compounds like fatty acid amides and butylated hydroxytoluene.
- Assess potential for misinterpretation of petroleum evidence based on hydrocarbon profiles from plastic bags and lubricants.
- Design contamination control protocols for marine sampling based on identified sources like specific plastic bag brands and sunscreen.
- Analyze distributions of branched alkanes with quaternary carbon atoms (BAQCs) and alkyl cyclohexanes in sediment samples.
Strengths
- Identifies specific contamination sources, including two brands of plastic sampling bags and sunscreen.
- Documents a variety of organic contaminants, such as Irganox 1076, octabenzone, and octyl methoxycinnamate.
- Provides detailed examination of hydrocarbon compounds that could be mistaken for natural petroleum.
Limitations
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Geoscience Australia
- Collection Method
- Samples collected during marine survey S282, with solvent extraction and analysis of potential contamination sources.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-16 23:24:54.712257; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Arafura Sea