Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Great Lakes Basin using dreissenid mussels

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Mussel Watch Program (MWP), conducts basin-wide monitoring and place-based assessments using dreissenid mussels as bioindicators of chemical contamination in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) body burden results for the period 2009–2018 were combined into one dataset from multiple MWP studies allowing for a robust characterization of PAH contamination. Patterns in PAH data were identified using descriptive statistics and machine learning techniques. Relationships between total PAH concentration in dreissenid mussel tissue, impervious surface percentages, and PAH relative concentration were identified and used to build a predictive model for the Great Lakes Basin. Significant positive correlation was identified by the Spearman’s rank correlation test between total PAH concentration and percent impervious surface. The findings support the paradigm that PAHs are primarily derived from land-based sources. Offshore and riverine locations had the lowest and highest median total PAH concentrations, respectively. PAH assemblages and ratios indicated that pyrogenic sources were more predominant than petrogenic sources and that PAHs at offshore sites exhibited relatively more weathering compared to inshore sites.