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Distribution and source estimation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal sediments from Seto Inland Sea, Japan
- Source :
- Environmental Chemistry. 17:488
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- CSIRO Publishing, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Environmental contextPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogenic environmental contaminants that tend to migrate into the sediments in oceans and seas. Their vertical distribution in sediments from the Seto Inland Sea matched their emission over time, which in turn reflected changes in energy sources and industrial activities in Japan. This study shows that human activities on land directly and significantly influence the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments. AbstractSeventeen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified in sediment cores collected at several locations in the Seto Inland Sea in 2015 and 2016 to understand their spatial distribution and potential emission sources. PAHs were analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The age of the sediment cores was analysed using radioisotopic dating techniques to reconstruct historical PAH emissions. The total concentrations of 17 PAHs in the sediment cores of Osaka Bay in 2015 were in the range of 108–2810ng g−1 dry weight (dw) with a mean concentration of 1050ng g−1 dw. The total concentrations of 17 PAHs in sediment cores from the Seto Inland Sea in 2016 were in the range of 52.6–941ng g−1 dw with a mean concentration of 313ng g−1 dw. The spatial distribution of PAHs showed the highest concentration in Osaka Bay and the lowest in Kii Channel in 2016. The horizontal PAH distribution showed a decreasing trend in concentrations from the estuary offshore to Osaka Bay and Aki-Nada. The vertical PAH distribution revealed that levels were higher before the 1980s–1990s, when oil consumption and industrial activities in the Osaka region reached a maximum in the 20th century. The diagnostic ratios of PAHs and a principal component analysis revealed three main emission sources of PAHs, industry, biomass burning and traffic activities.
- Subjects :
- geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Fluorescence spectrometry
Sediment
Context (language use)
Estuary
010501 environmental sciences
Spatial distribution
01 natural sciences
Chemical oceanography
Geochemistry and Petrology
Chemistry (miscellaneous)
Environmental chemistry
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental science
Energy source
Bay
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14482517
- Volume :
- 17
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental Chemistry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........2121668720636649f5a1f99d6bf314c0