Sample collections were made aboard the CCGS Amundsen during the ArcticNet field campaigns in August 2013 (Leg 1), July, August and October 2014 (Leg 1 & 3) and October 2015 (Leg 4). Sediment samples retrieved from box cores were sliced into 0.5 cm increments and frozen separately, while benthic invertebrates were collected using a benthic trawl. Individual species including Gorgoncephelus arcticus, Psilaster andromeda, Ophiopleura borealis and Ctenodiscus crispatus were identified, sorted, packed and stored at -30C and shipped to Winnipeg. At the University of Manitoba samples were freeze-dried and homogenized. Samples were then extracted and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes using a LECO Pegasus gas chromatographer with a high resolution time of flight mass spectrometer (GC-HR TOFMS). Supplementary data was also generated, including stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon, as well as lipid (inverts) and total organic carbon (sediment) to calculate biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). Statistical analysis is currently ongoing.
