Abstract
Carbon-14 labeled benz[a]anthracene was introduced into a large-scale marine microcosm containing an ecosystem functioning in a manner that was in many respects typical of the shallow coastal waters of the northeastern USA. The radiotracer label made it possible to follow the removal of benz[a]anthracene and labeled metabolites from the water column, their appearance and mixing into the sediments, and the production of SUP-14 COSUB-2 for 230 days. At the end of the experiment, 29% had been respired to COSUB-2 , while the remaining extractable activity (43%) was evenly divided between parent compound and intermediate metabolic products.