Seventy-six parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in wildfire ash (airborne and in situ), stream sediment, steelhead, crayfish, and marine mussels after the August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Wildfire and at regular intervals over three years.

After the CZU Wildfire in August 2020, stream sediment (7 burned, 1 unburned drainages), airborne ash, in situ ash, and regolith were collected from August 2020 to August 2023 to characterize wildfire effects. Solid-phase parameters include sand-sized charcoal counts, total carbon (TC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total organic carbon (TOC), bulk stable carbon 13/12 isotope ratios (d13C), bulk stable nitrogen 15/14 isotope ratios (d15N), and concentrations of 60 elements in the less than 63 micron fine ...