title: Persistent organic pollutants and sedimentary organic matter properties: a case study in the Kishon River, Israel.
abstract: The Kishon River, the second largest coastal river in Israel, has been severely polluted for several decades. Sediments from upstream and downstream sites of the river were analyzed, lipid-extracted and evaluated for phenanthrene uptake. Total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration in downstream sediments was 299 microg kg(-1), consisting mostly of petrogenic-derived PAHs. Downstream sedimentary lipids were found to be dominated by fresh and decomposed petroleum-derived n-alkanes. The total PAH concentration in upstream sediments was 173 microg kg(-1), consisting mostly of pyrogenic-derived PAHs, whereas lipids from these sediments were mostly vegetation-derived. Spectroscopic data suggested an exceptionally high aromatic content in downstream humic acid, which originated from PAHs attached to its structure. Sorption data suggested that upstream sedimentary cuticle-derived lipids function as a sorption domain, while downstream sedimentary lipids, consisting of shorter-chain-length petroleum-derived alkanes, compete with phenanthrene for sorption sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oren
authors.forename: Zeev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Aizenshtat
authors.forename: Benny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chefetz
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D006812:Humic Substances / Q000032:analysis; D007557:Israel; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D011749:Pyrogens / Q000737:chemistry; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006812:Humic Substances; D008055:Lipids; D010578:Petroleum; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011749:Pyrogens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C031181:phenanthrene