Geospatial data of elemental contamination at Palmyra Atoll, 2008 and 2010
Citation
Struckhoff, M.A., Papoulias, D.M., Orazio, C.E., Annis, M.L., Shaver, D.K. and Tillitt, D.E., 2017, Geospatial data of elemental contamination at Palmyra Atoll, 2008 and 2010: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F74F1P00
Summary
Palmyra atoll includes nearly 50 square kilometers of coral reef and 275 hectares of emergent lands that include forests of endangered Pisonia grandis trees and colonies of several species of birds. The reef is considered pristine, but some land areas and nearshore sediments are chemically contaminated from activities that occurred during the occupation of the atoll by the US Navy during World War II. In 2008 and 2010, screening surveys were conducted to measure elemental and organic contaminants in soils and sediments at locations known or suspected to be contaminated. A map of Navy facilities on the atoll in 1944 was scanned, mosaicked, and georeferenced, and identifiable facilities were digitized and attributed with information [...]
Summary
Palmyra atoll includes nearly 50 square kilometers of coral reef and 275 hectares of emergent lands that include forests of endangered Pisonia grandis trees and colonies of several species of birds. The reef is considered pristine, but some land areas and nearshore sediments are chemically contaminated from activities that occurred during the occupation of the atoll by the US Navy during World War II. In 2008 and 2010, screening surveys were conducted to measure elemental and organic contaminants in soils and sediments at locations known or suspected to be contaminated. A map of Navy facilities on the atoll in 1944 was scanned, mosaicked, and georeferenced, and identifiable facilities were digitized and attributed with information from the map legend. This geospatial data provided the framework for a targeted survey of contamination in soils and sediment on and around the atoll, using a hand-held X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) to measure the concentration of 25 elements. Additionally, in 2008, passive samplers (semi-permeable membrane devices, SPMD) were deployed to detect bio-available persistent organic contaminants in terrestrial and near-shore aquatic environments. Results from XRF analyses identify dozens of locations where elemental concentrations exceed established terrestrial soil and marine sediment thresholds above which adverse ecological effects are expected (as of December, 2017, SPMDs had not been analyzed for organic contaminants). The map of naval facilities and the locations of XRF and SPMD samples were compiled into the geospatial data set presented here. Data for XRF analysis points include concentrations of elemental contaminants to alert resource managers to potential issues on the atoll and to inform potential remediation and habitat restoration activities.
