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Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments of the Bohai Sea, China

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Abstract

A total of 112 surface sediment samples covering virtually the entire Bohai Sea were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in order to provide the extensive information of recent occurrence levels, distribution, possible sources, and potential biological risk of these compounds in this area. Surface sediment samples were collected from the Bohai Sea using a stainless steel grab sampler. Sixteen PAHs were determined by a Finnigan TRACE DSQ gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Diagnostic ratios, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) with multivariate linear regression (MLR) were performed to identify and quantitatively apportion the major sources of sedimentary PAHs in the Bohai Sea. Concentrations of total PAHs in the Bohai Sea ranged widely from 97.2 to 300.7 ng/g (mean, 175.7 ± 37.3 ng/g). High concentrations of PAHs were found in the vicinity of Luan River Estuary-Qinhuangdao Harbor, Cao River Estuary-Bohai Sea Center, and north of the Yellow River Estuary. The three-ring PAHs were most abundant, accounting for about 37 ± 5 % of total PAHs. The four-ring and five-ring PAHs were the next dominant ones comprising approximately 29 ± 7and 23 ± 3 % of total PAHs, respectively. Concentrations of acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene are higher than Canadian interim marine sediment quality guideline values at most of the sites in the study area. Contamination levels of PAHs in the Bohai Sea were low in comparison with other coastal sediments in China and developed countries. The distribution pattern of PAHs and source identification implied that PAH contamination in the Bohai Sea mainly originates from petrogenic and pyrogenic sources. Further PCA/MLR analysis suggested that the contributions of spilled oil products (petrogenic), coal combustion, and traffic-related pollution were 39, 38, and 23 %, respectively. Pyrogenic sources (coal combustion and traffic-related pollution) contributed 61 % of anthropogenic PAHs to sediments, which indicates that energy consumption could be a dominant factor in PAH pollution in this area. Acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene are the three main species of PAHs with more ecotoxicological concern in the Bohai Sea.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the crew of the R/V Kan 407 and R/V Sutaiyu 01155 for their assistance with sample collection. This work was jointly supported by National Science Fund, China (grant no. 40806025); the State Oceanic Administration, China (grant no. 201105003, 908-02-02-05, and GY02-2009G19); and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant no. 20080441155).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Ning-Jing Hu, Ji-Hua Liu, Xue-Fa Shi & De-Yi Ma

  2. Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Peng Huang

  3. Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, 215000, China

    Ying Liu

  4. No.6 Xianxialing Road, High-Tech District, Qingdao, 266061, People’s Republic of China

    Ning-Jing Hu & Xue-Fa Shi

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  1. Ning-Jing Hu
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  2. Peng Huang
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Correspondence to Ning-Jing Hu or Xue-Fa Shi.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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Hu, NJ., Huang, P., Liu, JH. et al. Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments of the Bohai Sea, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 1031–1040 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1098-3

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