Sources of the Elevating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Pollution in the Western South China Sea and Its Environmental Implications

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 57; no. 49; pp. 20750 - 20760
• Main Authors: Han, Minwei, Yu, Kefu, Zhang, Ruijie, Chen, Biao, Li, Haolan, Zhang, Zheng-en, Li, Jun, Zhang, Gan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 12.12.2023
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Deep sea; Drilling; Environmental impact; Marine ecosystems; Naphthalene; Occurrence, Fate, and Transport of Aquatic and Terrestrial Contaminants; Oceans; Oil exploration; Oils & fats; Particulate matter; Pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Rain water; Seawater; Sediments; Shipping; Shipping industry; Vertical migrations; Water circulation; Water column; Wet deposition; South China Sea; ocean oil pollution; particulate matter; PAHs; vertical transport; gas-particle partitioning
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03452

The environmental implications of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) caused by the vigorous development of offshore oil exploitation and shipping on the marine ecosystem are unclear. In this study, the PAH concentrations were systematically characterized in multiple environmental media (i.e., atmosphere, rainwater, seawater, and deep-sea sediments) in the western South China Sea (WSCS) for the first time to determine whether PAH pollution increased. The average ∑15PAHs (total concentration of 15 US EPA priority controlled PAHs excluding naphthalene) in the water of WSCS has increased and is higher than the majority of the oceans worldwide due to the synergistic influence of offshore oil extraction, shipping, and river input. The systematic model comparison confirms that the K soot‑air model can more accurately reflect the gas-particle partitioning of PAHs in the atmosphere of the WSCS. We also found that the vertical migration of the elevating PAHs is accelerated by particulate matter, driving the migration of atmospheric PAHs to the ocean through dry and wet deposition, with 16% being contributed by the particle phase. The particulate matter sinking alters the PAH distribution in the water column and generates variation in source apportionment, while the contribution of PAHs loaded on them (>20%) to the total PAH reserves cannot be ignored as before. Hence, the ecological threat of PAHs increases by the oil drilling and shipping industry, and the driving force of particulate matter deserves continuous attention.