title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in continental shelf sediment of China: implications for anthropogenic influences on coastal marine environment.
abstract: Sediments collected from the continental shelf of China, embracing Yellow Sea, inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), and the South China Sea (SCS), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentrations of anthropogenic PAHs (Σ(18)PAH) were 27-224 ng/g dry weight, with an average of 82 ng/g. Sedimentary PAHs in the continental shelf off China were mainly derived from mixed residues of biomass, coal, and petroleum combustion. Fluvial transport and atmospheric deposition mainly accounted for sediment PAHs in the ECS inner shelf and Yellow Sea (and the SCS), respectively. Furthermore, statistically higher levels of Σ(18)PAH (28-224 ng/g; mean 110 ng/g) in the Yellow Sea sediment than in the SCS sediment (28-109 ng/g; mean 58 ng/g) were probably resulted from higher PAH emissions from coke industry and domestic coal combustion in North China than in South China.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Liang-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ji-Zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gao-Ling
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Eddy Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical