Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seawater from the Western Taiwan Strait, China

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 63; no. 5-12; pp. 459 - 463
• Main Authors: Wu, Yu-Ling, Wang, Xin-Hong, Li, Yong-Yu, Hong, Hua-Sheng
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; atmospheric deposition; Biological and medical sciences; China; coasts; combustion; dissolved organic carbon; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Monitoring; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; particulates; partition coefficients; Partitioning; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; salinity; sampling; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater; Seawater - chemistry; Source; surface water; Synecology; Taiwan; water currents; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; water pollution; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; Western Taiwan Strait; Asia; China; Taiwan; ISEW, Pacific, Taiwan Strait; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Partitioning; Western Taiwan Strait; Source; Seawater; Persistent organic pollutant; Marine environment; Strait; Hydrocarbon; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.03.008

► Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dissolved phase and particulate phase of seawater were analyzed in the Western Taiwan Strait (WTS). ► PAHs contamination shows a low-middle level in China seas. ► Min-Zhe coastal current might influence the spatial variability of PAHs in WTS. ► PAHs input sources may be attributed to land-based atmospheric deposition. Seawater samples (including surface water and bottom water) were collected from the Western Taiwan Strait (WTS) during June 24–25, 2009; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dissolved phase and particulate phase were analyzed, respectively. The results showed that the total concentrations of PAHs in the dissolved phase and particulate phase were ranged from 12.3 to 58.0ngL−1, and 10.3–45.5ngL−1, which showed a low-middle contamination level in the China Seas. The spatial variability of PAHs may be related to the complicated currents of WTS, especially the Min-Zhe coastal current. PAHs diagnostic ratios suggested that PAHs mainly originated from the inputs of pyrolytic (combustion) sources, which might be contributed to land-based atmospheric deposition. The particle-water partition coefficients of individual PAH showed that partitions were not correlated with suspended particulate matter content, dissolved organic carbon or salinity, similar to the Yangtze coastal area.