title: Assessing the relation between anthropogenic pressure and PAH concentrations in surface water in the Seine River basin using multivariate analysis.
abstract: Understanding the relation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in freshwater and anthropogenic pressure is fundamental to finding a solution to reduce the presence of PAHs in water, and thus their potential impact on aquatic life. In this paper we propose to gain greater insight into the variability, sources and partitioning of PAHs in labile (or freely dissolved=not associated to the organic matter), dissolved and particulate phases in freshwater. This study was conducted using land use data as a marker of anthropogenic pressure and coupling it with chemical measurements. This study was conducted on 30 sites in the Seine River basin, which is subjected to a strong human impact and exhibits a wide range of land uses. Half of the sites were studied twice. Labile PAHs were measured by semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs), and dissolved and particulate phases by grab samples. Partial least squares regressions were performed between chemical measurements and data of anthropogenic pressure. The results indicate different sources for the dissolved phase and particles. Dissolved and labile phases were more related to the population density of the watershed, while particles were more related to a local pressure. Season and land use data are necessary information to correctly interpret and compare PAH concentrations from different sites. Furthermore, the whole data set of the 45 field deployments comprising labile, dissolved, total and particulate PAH concentrations as well as the physico-chemical parameters is available in the supplementary information.
authors.affiliation: Irstea, UR HBAN Hydrosystèmes et bioprocédés, 1 rue Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, 92761 Antony cedex, France; FIRE, FR-30204 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France. Electronic address: emmanuelle.uher@irstea.fr.
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uher
authors.affiliation: LISA, 61 avenue du général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mirande-Bret
authors.affiliation: Anses, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94701 Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gourlay-Francé
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005602:France; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Land use data; Large-scale deployment; Multivariate analyses; PLS regression; Persistent organic pollutants; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons