title: Influence of anthropogenic activities on PAHs in sediments in a significant gulf of low-latitude developing regions, the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea: distribution, sources, inventory and probability risk.
abstract: Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 41 surface sediment samples and a sediment core (50 cm) from the Beibu Gulf, a significant low-latitude developing gulf, were analyzed. PAHs concentrations were 3.01-388 ng g(-)(1) (mean 95.5 ng g(-)(1)) in the surface sediments and 10.5-87.1 ng g(-)(1) (average 41.1 ng g(-)(1)) in the sediment core. Source apportionment indicated that PAHs were generated from coke production and vehicular emissions (39.4%), coal and biomass combustion (35.8%), and petrogenic sources (24.8%). PAHs were mainly concentrated in the industrialized and urbanized regions and the harbor, and were transported by atmospheric deposition to the marine matrix. The mass inventory (1.57-2.62t) and probability risk showed sediments here served as an important reservoir but low PAH risk. Different from oil and natural gas in developed regions, coal combustion has always been a significant energy consumption pattern in this developing region for the past 30 years (56 ± 5%).
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
authors.forename: Pingyang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China. Electronic address: wyh@gxu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Environment, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
authors.forename: Ruijie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D011336:Probability; D012306:Risk; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Beibu Gulf; Mass inventory; PAHs; Probability risk assessment; Sediment