Geoscience Australia Marine Survey S282: Organic Contaminant Sources in Sediment Samples

Geoscience Australia's marine survey S282 data documents the detection of organic contaminants in sediment samples from the Arafura Sea. The dataset includes identified contaminants such as fatty acid amides, antioxidants like butylated hydroxytoluene and Irganox 1076, and UV absorbers octabenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate. It assesses potential contamination sources from sampling equipment and handling, crucial for interpreting evidence of natural hydrocarbon seepage.

Use Cases

• Identify contamination sources in geochemical samples based on detected compounds like fatty acid amides and antioxidants.
• Differentiate anthropogenic contaminants from natural petroleum signals based on hydrocarbon series such as branched alkanes with quaternary carbon atoms (BAQCs).
• Assess sample handling protocols to mitigate contamination from plastics and sunscreens based on the described contamination pathways.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, documented marine survey (S282) in the Arafura Sea.
• Identifies concrete contaminant compounds, including butylated hydroxytoluene, Irganox 1076, octabenzone, and octyl methoxycinnamate.
• Traces contamination to specific sources such as plastic sampling bags and sunscreen.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Survey date is not specified in the provided description.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 19:14:54.892925; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Sea