Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) data compiled for sediments and bivalve tissues along the coast of British Columbia. The dataset originates from the Ocean Wise Conservation Association’s Pollution Tracker database and is intended to support the Spill Response Team within Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Integrated Marine Response Planning program. It includes concentrations of PAHs along with supporting parameters like moisture content, grain size, total organic carbon, and lipid content.
Use Cases
- Establish baseline hydrocarbon concentrations for spill response planning based on the compiled reference data.
- Distinguish spill-related contamination from natural or historical conditions based on the background concentration data.
- Assess contaminant impacts on seafood safety and marine health based on PAH measurements in mussel and clam tissues.
Strengths
- Data is compiled from multiple sources, including the Ocean Wise Pollution Tracker database and partner organizations.
- Includes supporting environmental parameters such as moisture content, grain size distribution, total organic carbon, and lipid content.
- Metadata fields include program name, site ID, geographic coordinates, water depth, sampling date, and funder information.
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 open_canada, focusing solely on the coast of British Columbia.
Provenance
- Source
- Ocean Wise Conservation Association’s Pollution Tracker database, with additional sites from partner organizations.
- Collection Method
- Compiled from environmental sampling programs.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-20 17:12:23.415731; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Coast of British Columbia, Canada.