Marine Survey S282: Organic Contaminant Sources in Geochemical Samples

Geoscience Australia's marine survey S282 collected sediment samples from the Arafura Sea to detect hydrocarbon seepage. The dataset details the detection of organic contaminants like fatty acid amides, antioxidants, and UV absorbers introduced during sampling and handling. It identifies specific plastic bags and sunscreen as contamination sources for these compounds.

Use Cases

• Identify and quantify contamination from plastic sampling bags based on detected fatty acid amides and antioxidants.
• Assess the impact of personal care products on samples based on UV absorber contamination from sunscreen.
• Differentiate anthropogenic hydrocarbons from natural petroleum seepage based on branched alkane and alkyl cyclohexane distributions.
• Develop protocols for cleaner sample collection and handling in marine geochemical surveys.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, documented marine survey (S282) with a clear primary aim.
• Identifies concrete contamination sources, including two brands of plastic bags and sunscreen.
• Examines multiple contaminant classes: fatty acid amides, antioxidants, UV absorbers, and hydrocarbons.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the single Arafura Sea survey area.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Sediment samples collected during marine survey S282, with subsequent solvent extraction and analysis of samples and potential contamination sources.

Time Range

Survey date is unknown; data was last updated in 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 20:00:27.584501; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Sea