Determination, and environmental assessment of hydrocarbons in water samples following a release of oil from the Clair platform

Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 7 No 29

Following a leak from the Clair platform on 2 October 2016, water samples were collected at five depths from ten sites, including a reference site, to assess any environmental impact of the oil leak in the area. All samples were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and two samples (9.9 m and 29.7 m samples) from each site were analysed for n-alkanes. The total PAH concentrations in the water samples were low, ranging from 1.4 to 16.3 ng l-1 and could be considered to be at background concentrations. The n-alkane profiles showed no evidence of crude oil contamination.