title: Spatial and temporal distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Northern Arabian Gulf sediments.
abstract: Surficial sediment samples were collected from 25 locations within Kuwait Bay and outside the Bay, in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf, to access recent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in Kuwait. Time trends in the depositional history of PAHs to this portion of the Arabian Gulf was reconstructed from the analysis of a dated sediment core. Intersite differences in concentration exist although these differences were not statistically significant (p=0.08). However, organic carbon normalized concentrations within Kuwait Bay were 4 times higher than the average concentrations outside the Bay and were shown to be statistically significant (p<0.001). The sedimentary record showed that ΣPAHs concentration fluctuated between 12 and 25ngg-1before 1970. Concentrations then increased sharply to a maximum of 45ngg-1around the late 1970s and early 1980s followed by an exponential decrease in concentration to pre-1970 "background" concentrations of between 12 and 25ngg-1.
authors: Environmental Management Program, Environment and Life Sciences Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait. Electronic address: bgevao@kisr.edu.kw.
authors: Bondi
authors: B
authors: Gevao
authors: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
authors: Edward A
authors: EA
authors: Boyle
authors: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
authors: Gonzalo G
authors: GG
authors: Carrasco
authors: Environmental Management Program, Environment and Life Sciences Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait.
authors: Abdul Nabi
authors: AN
authors: Ghadban
authors: Environmental Management Program, Environment and Life Sciences Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait.
authors: Jamal
authors: J
authors: Zafar
authors: Environmental Management Program, Environment and Life Sciences Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait.
authors: Majed
authors: M
authors: Bahloul
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D007730:Kuwait; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Anthropogenic pollution; Arabian Gulf; Historical records; PAHs; Time trends