Distribution of hydrophobic organic contaminants in marine sediment fines—An alternative normalization strategy?

The necessary normalization of contaminant concentrations, in order to be able to compare contaminant content in sediments with different sediment properties, is currently not standardized within environmental monitoring and assessment programs. Therefore, this study investigates an alternative normalization strategy for hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) by removing the coarse and chemically inert sediment fraction using an improved, half‐automated wet‐sieving method. We compare the results to commonly used TOC normalization (2.5% total organic carbon [TOC], OSPAR). Simultaneously, the study provides a comprehensive overview of HOC concentrations in sediment fines (LOD were detected in sediment fines, leading to more informative data sets. In contrast to the commonly used normalization to 2.5% TOC, the statistical analyses carried out (principal component analysis with subsequent cluster analysis) additionally indicate that physical normalization allows better differentiation of sampling sites by contaminant sources and geographic location rather than their sediment characteristics. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:1348–1360. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Key Points Spatial distributions of organic hydrophobic contaminant concentrations in sediment fines (