DDT Food Webs

Historical DDT data exists for the Palos Verdes Shelf sediments, which was long believed to be the primary source of DDT and its breakdown products to the marine food web in the Southern California Bight. Scientists will thoroughly characterize the relevant contaminant profiles water column and food web components at Dumpsite Two. They will use a targeted approach to quantify the major DDT-related compounds, while utilizing a broader approach to fingerprint the less well studied breakdown products of DDT. We will trace relevant contaminants into the local, deep food web near and around the dumpsite.