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The study analyzes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) isolated from bottom sediments of the Barents and Norwegian seas (2019–2021 cruises of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh). Elevated PAH concentrations (up to 16 900 ng/g) are recorded in the coastal region of the Svalbard archipelago, and low ones, in the Greenland Basin and the eponymous ridge (up to 80 ng/g), as well as on the continental slope of the Barents Sea (up to 240 ng/g on average). Among cata-condensed PAHs, 2–3 ring polyarenes are the most common: naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalenes, and phenanthrene, while among peri-condensed PAHs, 4–6 ring polyarenes are the most typical: fluoranthene, pyrene, and benz(a)anthracene. Anthropogenic sources in the bottom sediments of the study area are of subordinate importance compared to their natural input from the sedimentary stratum with fluid fluxes and erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyzes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) isolated from bottom sediments of the Barents and Norwegian seas (2019–2021 cruises of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh). Elevated PAH concentrations (up to 16 900 ng/g) are recorded in the coastal region of the Svalbard archipelago, and low ones, in the Greenland Basin and the eponymous ridge (up to 80 ng/g), as well as on the continental slope of the Barents Sea (up to 240 ng/g on average). Among cata-condensed PAHs, 2–3 ring polyarenes are the most common: naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalenes, and phenanthrene, while among peri-condensed PAHs, 4–6 ring polyarenes are the most typical: fluoranthene, pyrene, and benz(a)anthracene. Anthropogenic sources in the bottom sediments of the study area are of subordinate importance compared to their natural input from the sedimentary stratum with fluid fluxes and erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multidisciplinary approach, involving geochemical, sedimentological and oceanographic analyses, was employed to examine the distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a strongly anthropized area of the marginal Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean basin). The investigation into PAH distribution considered the grain size and biogeochemical properties of the sediments, as well as in relation to the main oceanographic processes and river inputs. Both biogeochemical and hydrographical inputs regulated the sedimentation of organic particles, influencing the distribution of PAHs. The results indicated PAH levels in 116 marine surface sediments ranging from 4 to 235 ng g−1 (average 55 ng g−1). The distribution of PAHs in Adriatic Sea surface sediments aligned with a higher clayey sedimentation in the deeper basin areas of the Middle Adriatic Depression. [Display omitted] • A multidisciplinary approach combined geochemical and oceanographic aspects. • Level of PAHs in a large area of central and southern Adriatic Sea was evaluated. • The biogeochemical and hydrographical factors regulated PAH distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]