Description: Substantial amounts of adsorbed methane were detected in authigenic carbonate concretions recovered from sedimentary layers from depths between 245 and 1,108 m below seafloor during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 186 to ODP sites 1150 and 1151 on the deep-sea terrace of the Japan Trench. Methane contents were almost two orders of magnitude higher in the concretions (291-4,528 nmol/g wet wt) than in the surrounding bulk sediments (5-93 nmol/g wet wt), whereas methane/ethane ratios and stable carbon isotopic compositions were very similar. Carbonate content of surrounding bulk sediments (0.02-3.2 wet wt%) and methane content of the surrounding bulk sediments correlated positively. Extrapolation of the carbonate contents of bulk sediments suggests that 100 wt% carbonate would correspond to 1,886±732 nmol methane per g bulk sediment, which is similar to the average value observed in the carbonate concretions (1,321±1,067 nmol/g wet wt, n = 13). These data support the hypothesis that, in sediments, adsorbed hydrocarbon gases are strongly associated with authigenic carbonates.

Description: Perfluorinated acids and their salts have emerged as an important class of global environmental contaminants. Biological monitoring surveys conducted using tissues of marine organisms reported the occurrence of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and related perfluorinated compounds in biota from various seas and oceans, including the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans. Occurrence of perfluorinated compounds in remote marine locations is of concern and indicates the need for studies to trace sources and pathways of these compounds to the oceans. Determination of sub-parts-per-trillion (ng/L) or parts-per-quadrillion (pg/L) concentrations of aqueous media has been impeded by relatively high background levels arising from procedural or instrumental blanks. Our research group has developed a reliable and highly sensitive analytical method by which to monitor perfluorinated compounds in oceanic waters. The method developed is capable of detecting PFOS, perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS), perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) at a few pg/L in oceanic waters. The method was applied to seawater samples collected during several international research cruises undertaken during 2002–2004 in the central to eastern Pacific Ocean (19 locations), South China Sea and Sulu Seas (five), north and mid Atlantic Ocean (12), and the Labrador Sea (20). An additional 50 samples of coastal seawater from several Asian countries (Japan, China, Korea) were analyzed. PFOA was found at levels ranging from several thousands of pg/L in water samples collected from coastal areas in Japan to a few tens of pg/L in the central Pacific Ocean. PFOA was the major contaminant detected in oceanic waters, followed by PFOS. Further studies are being conducted to elucidate the distribution and fate of perfluorinated acids in oceans.