Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Plasma and Preen Oil of Black-Footed Albatross (Diomedea nigripes) Chicks and Adults on Midway Atoll, North Pacific Ocean.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Midway Atoll, located in the North Pacific Ocean, was occupied by the military during and after World War II. However, Midway Atoll has become a national wildlife refuge and home to many different seabirds today, including the black-footed albatross (Diomedea nigripes) (BFAL).

Difference equation model for isothermal gas chromatography expresses retention behavior of homologues of n-alkanes excluding the influence of holdup time.

A difference equation (DE) model is developed using the methylene retention increment (Δtz) of n-alkanes to avoid the influence of gas holdup time (tM). The effects of the equation orders (1st-5th) on the accuracy of a curve fitting show that a linear equation (LE) is less satisfactory and it is not necessary to use a complicated cubic or higher order equation. The relationship between the logarithm of Δtz and the carbon number (z) of the n-alkanes under isothermal conditions closely follows the quadratic equation for C3-C30n-alkanes at column temperatures of 24-260 °C.

Spatial distribution of organochlorine contaminants in soil, sediment, and fish in Bikini and Enewetak Atolls of the Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Several nuclear tests were performed at Enewetak and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. The events at Bikini Atoll involved several ships that were tested for durability during nuclear explosions, and 24 vessels now rest on the bottom of the Bikini lagoon. Nine soil samples were collected from different areas on the two islands of the atoll, and eighteen sediment, nine fish, and one lobster were collected in the vicinity of the sunken ships.