IDENTIFICATION AND LINKAGE OF TARBALLS FROM THE COASTS OF VANCOUVER-ISLAND AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA USING GC MS AND ISOTOPIC TECHNIQUES/

During January and February 1996, a significant number of tarball/ pat ty incidents occurred along the coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington , Oregon, and California. Samples of the tarballs were collected from the affected beaches and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrome try (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) using a tiered analytical approach developed for determining the origi n of oils. Selected samples were further analyzed using a carbon isoto pic technique, Also, the relative abundances of a large number of ''so urce-specific marker'' compounds, in particular alkylated series of po lycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons within the same alkylation isomeric gro ups, were compared. Results of the analysis revealed that (1) Californ ia/Oregon samples were chemically similar and consistent with the same source, They were identified to be bunker type fuel; (2) The tarball samples collected from British Columbia and Ocean Shores, Washington w ere chemically similar and consistent with the same source (also bunke r type fuel). They were found to be similar to but may have a source d ifferent than the California/Oregon samples; (3) The source of the tar ball/patty samples was neither Alaska North Slope oil nor California M onterrey Miocene oil; (4) The spilled oil samples have been highly wea thered since release, and the California samples were more heavily wea thered than the British Columbia samples.