Sources and distribution of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China.
The composition and distribution of aliphatic (n-alkanes) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured for the surface sediments collected at 25 sites from Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. Total n-alkanes and PAH concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 8.2 microg/gdw and 0.02 to 2.2 microg/gdw, respectively, and the distribution of both n-alkanes and PAHs showed large spatial variations in the bay. The distribution of PAHs in the sediments was predominated by the three or more ring compounds. High hydrocarbon levels were generally found in the areas associated with high anthropogenic impact and port activities in the bay. The calculated hydrocarbon indexes suggest that petroleum contamination was the main source of n-alkanes, while both pyrolytic and petrogenic sources contributed PAHs to the surface sediments of Jiaozhou Bay. In comparison to other polluted coastal sediments, the level of contamination from both aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs in Jiaozhou Bay sediments is relatively low at the present time.
Wang
Xu-Chen
XC
Department of Marine Ecology and Environmental Studies, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China. xuchen.wang@umb.edu
Sun
Song
S
Ma
Hai-Qing
HQ
Liu
Ying
Y
D000473:Alkanes / Q000032:analysis*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D000473:Alkanes; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen