title: Regionalized concentrations and fingerprints of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in German forest soils.
abstract: Samples of 474 forest stands in Germany were analysed for concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in three sampling depths. Enhanced concentrations were mainly found at spots relatively close to densely industrialized and urbanized regions and at some topographically elevated areas. Average enrichment factors between mineral soil and humic layer depend on humus type i.e. decrease from mull via moder to mor. Based on their compound-patterns, the observed samples could be assigned to three main clusters. For some parts of our study area a uniform assignment of samples to clusters over larger regions could be identified. For instance, samples taken at vicinity to brown-coal strip-mining districts are characterized by high relative abundances of low-molecular-weight PAHs. These results suggest that PAHs are more likely originated from local and regional emitters rather than from long-range transport and that specific source-regions can be identified based on PAH fingerprints.
authors: Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Division of Organic Environmental Analysis, Richard-Willstätter-Strße 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany; University of Potsdam, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany. Electronic address: bernhard.aichner@gmx.de.
authors: Bernhard
authors: B
authors: Aichner
authors: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Section II 2.7 Soil Quality, Soil Monitoring, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany.
authors: Bernd M
authors: BM
authors: Bussian
authors: Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Division of Organic Environmental Analysis, Richard-Willstätter-Strße 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Petra
authors: P
authors: Lehnik-Habrink
authors: Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Division of Organic Environmental Analysis, Richard-Willstätter-Strße 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Hein
mesh_terms: D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D065928:Forests; D005858:Germany; D000067896:Industrial Development; D008906:Mining; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014507:Urbanization
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Emissions; Enrichment factor; Humic layer; Long-range transport; Mineral soil; O horizon; Organic pollutants; PAHs; Soil