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Aquatic particles and organic carbon (OC) regulate the occurrence and transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water-suspended particle-sediment interfaces. Conventional studies on the mechanisms regulating the relationships between PAHs and total particles/OC have ignored micro-scale regulatory factors such as particle size and OC composition. Field research in the eutrophic shallow Lake Taihu, China, revealed that the fine particle fractions 2.7-10 μm in diameter had stronger PAH adsorption capacity and significantly regulated PAH particle size distribution and water-particle partitioning. Selective PAH biodegradation by planktonic microorganisms probably significantly weakened the capacity of the coarse fractions to regulate PAHs. OC fragments at different temperature gradients had markedly different influences on the particle size distribution of PAHs. High-temperature pyrogenic OC fractions (part of black carbon) were the principal OC regulatory factors for medium-to high-molecular-weight PAHs. However, the OC fragments did not directly affect the particle distribution of low-molecular-weight PAHs. During particle deposition and burial, microbial PAH utilization and efficiency probably regulated the burial potential of various hydrophobic PAH species. Biodegradation of relatively less hydrophobic PAHs with octanol-water partition coefficients (log K ow ) < 5.8 showed an increasing trend with decreasing PAH hydrophobicity. Biological pump action of the relatively higher hydrophobic PAH species (log K ow > 5.8) showed a decreasing trend with increasing PAH hydrophobicity. The discoveries of the present work further clarified the mechanisms of PAH partitioning and burial in a eutrophic shallow lake and collectively provides a valuable reference for modeling the transport and dispersal mechanisms of hydrophobic, particle-bound organic contaminants in other aquatic ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The Haizhou Bay in eastern China, for a long time, is seriously polluted with heavy metals (HMs) due to intensive anthropic pressure. The river runoff is the dominant pathway of HM transport in the coastal region. However, the information on HM pollution in coastal rivers flowing into Haizhou Bay was still limited, and potential risks and possible sources raised by HMs in this area were neglected up to now. To fully understand the distribution and ecological risks of sediments in seven rivers along the bay, surface sediments were collected and seven HMs (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) were investigated. The results showed that HM concentrations generally met the primary standard criteria of China (marine sediment quality), except for Cu and Zn. On the other hand, Zn and Cu tended to exhibit probable adverse biological effects in the Shawang River comparison with some sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Moreover, the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index demonstrated that there was no or slight contamination to be found for Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb and moderate pollution for Cd. The contamination factor (C f i ), integrated contamination degree (CF), modified degree of contamination ( m C d ), and modified pollution index (MPI) revealed individual metal contamination in localized areas. In these river sediments, the potential ecological risk (RI) was low to moderate, except Cd posted a considerable ecological risk because of its high enrichment. Furthermore, the Shawang River and Linhong River were seriously polluted with HMs among seven rivers. These results provided a new direction for controlling HM pollution in Haizhou Bay which suggested substantial measures should be implemented to alleviate the potential risk of HMs, to these rivers sediments., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Urban river runoff carrying various anthropogenic sources of heavy metals (HMs) is the most important input pathways for HM pollutions in the coastal region, apportioning sources of environmental pollutants is key to controlling coastal HM pollution. In the study, surface sediments were collected from seven urban rivers flowing through Lianyungang City and discharging into Haizhou Bay, Eastern China. The concentrations of HMs of the river sediments were, in mg/kg (mean value ± standard deviation): Mn (550 ± 227) > Zn (67 ± 61) > Cr (33 ± 12) > Ni (21 ± 8.5) > Cu (16 ± 7.6) > Pb (15 ± 5.6) > Cd (0.11 ± 0.06), which were slightly to moderately polluted. As important outlets for municipal and industrial sewages, the Shawang River and Linhong River were the most polluted. Based on the multivariate statistical analysis, HMs were attributed to anthropogenic source (industrial, domestic, and agricultural discharges) and natural source (soil parent materials and atmospheric deposition). Based on isotope source apportionment, Pb was mainly from natural source, exhausts of leaded gasoline vehicles, and coal combustion, with the mean contributions of 39.3%, 23.7%, and 37.0%, respectively, and Sr originated from natural source and anthropogenic source, with mean contributions of 31.8% and 68.2%, respectively. Pb-Sr isotopes illustrated that anthropogenic inputs were the dominant source for HMs in urban river sediments flowing into Haizhou Bay, and the isotope tracing results make up the discriminating deficiency of the multivariate statistical analysis., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

As typical chemical indicators of the Anthropocene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their environmental behavior in urban estuaries can reveal the influence of anthropogenic activities on coastal zones worldwide. In contrast to conventional approaches based on concentration datasets, we provide a compound-specific radiocarbon ( 14 C) perspective to quantitatively evaluate the sources and land‒sea transport of PAHs in an estuarine‒coastal surficial sedimentary system impacted by anthropogenic activities and coastal currents. Compound-specific 14 C of PAHs and their 14 C end-member mixing models showed that 67-73% of fluoranthene and pyrene and 76-80% of five- and six-ring PAHs in the Jiulong River Estuary (JRE, China) originated from fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil spill, and petroleum-related emissions). In the adjacent Western Taiwan Strait (WTS), the contributions of fossil fuel to these PAH groups were higher at 74-79% and 84-87%, respectively. Furthermore, as a significant biomarker for source allocation of terrigenous organic matter, perylene, a typical five-ring PAH, and its land‒sea transport from the basin through the JRE and finally to the WTS was quantitatively evaluated based on the 14 C transport models. In the JRE, fluvial erosions and anthropogenic emissions affected the 14 C signature of perylene (Δ 14 C perylene , -535 ± 5‰) with contributions of > 38% and < 62%, respectively. From the JRE to the WTS, the decreased Δ 14 C perylene (-735 ± 4‰) could be attributed to the long‒range transport of "ocean current-driven" perylene (-919 ± 53‰) with a contribution of 53 ± 8%. This compound-specific 14 C approach and PAH transport model help provide a valuable reference for accurately quantifying land‒sea transport and burial of organic pollutants in estuarine‒coastal sedimentary systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In order to investigate the impacts of dam-related water impoundment on the spatial-temporal variations and transport of anthropogenic organic pollutants, 15 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in water samples from the Shuikou Reservoir (SKR) of the Minjiang River. The SKR was formed after the construction of the Shuikou Dam, which is the largest hydropower station in Southeast China. The water samples were collected from the backwater zone of the SKR, in both the wet and dry seasons, corresponding to the drainage and impoundment periods of water flow, respectively. The concentrations of the dissolved PAHs in surface water from the wet season (average of 161 ± 97 ng L -1 ) were significantly higher (ANOVA, p < 0.01) than those from the dry season (average of 43 ± 21 ng L -1 ). PAH concentrations in the SKR decreased from upstream (industrialized cities) to downstream (rural towns or counties), indicating high PAH loads caused by intensive urbanization effects. The high proportions of 3-ring PAHs in the wet season were from local sources via surface runoff; while the elevated proportions of 4- to 6- ring PAHs in the dry season reflected atmospheric deposition emerged of these PAHs and/or volatilization of 3-ring PAHs enhanced. Molecular diagnostic ratios of PAH isomers in multimedium and principal component analysis indicated that PAH presence in the SKR was mainly attributed to pyrogenic origin. The isomeric ratios of fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene in the wet season were homogeneous, implying that there were continuous new inputs along the riverine runoff. However, these ratios showed spatial downward trend in the dry season, indicating continued degradation of PAHs occurred along the transport path during the impoundment period. The input and output fluxes of PAHs in the SKR were 5330 kg yr -1 and 2991 kg yr -1 , revealing that the reservoir retained contaminants after impoundment of the hydropower dam., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Twenty-four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were analyzed in water and sediment from the Jiulong Estuary-Xiamen Bay to study their seasonal variations, transport, partitioning behavior and ecological risks. The total concentration of PFASs in water ranged from 11 to 98 ng L -1 (average 45 ng L -1 ) during the dry season, 0.19-5.7 ng L -1 (average 1.5 ng L -1 ) during the wet season, and 3.0-5.4 ng g -1 dw (average 3.9 ng g -1 dw) in sediment. In water samples, short-chain PFASs were dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFBA) in the dry season and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) in the wet season, while long chain PFASs, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), dominated in the sediment. The highest concentration of PFASs in water were found in the estuary; in contrast, the highest level of PFASs in sediment were found in Xiamen Bay. These spatial distributions of PFASs indicate that river discharge is the main source of PFASs in estuarine water, while the harbor, airport and wastewater treatment plant near Xiamen Bay may be responsible for the high PFBS and PFOS concentrations in water and sediment. The partition coefficients (log K d ) of PFASs between sediment and water (range from 1.64 to 4.14) increased with carbon chain length (R 2  = 0.99) and also showed a positive relationship with salinity. A preliminary environmental risk assessment indicated that PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water and sediment pose no significant ecological risk to organisms., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To investigate the characteristics of historic-use organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the marginal seawater of China, we examined the seasonal and spatial distributions of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in the northern South China Sea (NSCS, 18-23° N) and East China Sea (ECS, 26-32° N). Seasonally, in the NSCS, the significantly higher concentrations ( p < 0.05) of HCB, HCHs, and DDTs were found in summer, autumn, and summer through autumn, respectively. In the ECS, the higher concentrations were found in summer through winter, autumn, and summer. Spatially, HCB concentrations were significantly higher in the NSCS than in the ECS during all seasons except winter. During all four seasons, concentrations of HCHs were significantly higher in the NSCS than in the ECS. In summer and autumn, concentrations of DDTs were significantly higher in the NSCS than in the ECS, while no significant differences were found in spring and winter. Generally, regional usage, river-influenced coastal plumes, phytoplankton abundances, and ocean currents played crucial roles in the input, transport, degradation, and dilution of OCPs. These dynamic factors along with the seasonally alternating monsoon directly influenced the seasonal and spatial characteristics of OCPs. Furthermore, the profiles and diagnostic ratios of HCHs and DDTs revealed highly weathered OCP residues, attributed to eroded soils carried by surface runoff and long-range oceanic and atmospheric transport.

Riverine runoff is one of the most important pathways of pollutants entering the oceans. To study the seasonal variations, spatial transports, sources and mass fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the subtropical Jiulong River watershed to estuary, water samples were collected in wet and dry seasons. PAH concentrations showed significant temporal-spatial variations (ANOVA, p < 0.05). In the watershed, PAH concentrations in wet season (48.6 ± 18.2 ng L -1 ) were significantly lower than in dry season (90.3 ± 18.5 ng L -1 ). In contrast, estuarine PAH concentrations in wet season (67.1 ± 24.6 ng L -1 ) were significantly higher than in dry season (27.4 ± 10.6 ng L -1 ) (p < 0.0001). The spatial variations of PAH concentrations in wet and dry seasons reflected positive and restricted transport processes occurred in the river. These findings might be subjected to seasonal changes in precipitation, water discharge, hydrodynamic conditions, and human activities. The compositional patterns of PAHs illustrated that fluorene and phenanthrene were the dominant compounds in the watershed, while phenanthrene was predominant in the estuary. Source analysis by molecular diagnostic ratios and PMF model indicated that fossil fuel and biomass combustion and petroleum both contributed to the presence of PAHs, and the high contributions of pyrogenic PAHs might be related to urban rainstorm runoff in winter and atmospheric inputs in winter. Although the estimated flux of PAHs from watershed to estuary was about 676 kg yr -1 with a low level by comparing the data obtained in the worldwide, continue concern of PAHs in the Jiulong River is recommended due to the intense human activities., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments were investigated from the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean in 2010. Total concentrations (dry weight) of Σ 14 PFAS in surface sediments (0.85 ± 0.22 ng g -1 ) of the Bering Sea were lower than that in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean (1.27 ± 0.53 ng g -1 ). Perfluoro-butanoic acid (PFBS) and perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) were the dominant PFAS in these areas. The concentrations of Σ 15 OCPs in the sediment of the Bering Sea (13.00 ± 6.17 ng g -1 ) was slightly higher than that in the Chukchi and Arctic Ocean (12.05 ± 2.27 ng g -1 ). The most abundant OCPs were hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites. The composition patterns of HCHs and DDTs indicated that they were mainly derived from the early residues via river runoff. Increasing trends of PFAS, HCHs and DDTs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean were found, indicating oceanic transport. In summary, the concentrations of OCPs were orders of magnitude greater than the observed PFAS concentrations, and the concentrations of PFAS and OCPs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean are at the low to moderate levels by comparing with other coastal and marine sediments worldwide., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

On July 27, 2003, a spill of approximately 31,000 tons of Iranian light crude oil affected the coast of Karachi, Pakistan. Approximately 11 years after the spill, we analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated homologues (alkyl-PAHs) as the indicators to evaluate the residual effect of oil spill to the sediment along the Karachi coast. The total concentrations (dry weight) of parent PAHs and alkyl-PAHs ranged from 121.9 to 735.4 and 42.3-1149.9 ng/g, respectively. The estuary and harbor were the two regions with the highest levels of PAHs in the sediment. Conversely, sedimentary PAHs in the oil spill areas and remote coastal areas showed significantly lower levels. Although the results of the source identification indicated the up to 75.2% of the contribution from petroleum and its derivatives, this could only reflect the direct impact of the Karachi city on the presence of PAHs in the coastal sedimentary environment and did not indicated that the oil spill continues to stay 11 years later. Compared with 11 years ago, the sharply reduced PAH content, great changed composition, and the degradation driven trend of diagnostic ratios all indicated a sharp decrease in the influence of PAHs caused by the oil spill. Finally, the ecological risk caused by the PAH residual in the marine sedimentary ecosystem had disappeared along the Karachi coasts, Pakistan., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The seasonal variations and spatial distributions of fifteen perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were investigated in the water of the subtropical Jiulong River Estuary (JRE) in Fujian, China. The concentrations and composition profiles of PFASs showed significant seasonal variations. ∑PFASs concentrations ranged from 4.8 to 37.6 ng L -1 , 12.2 to 110 ng L -1 and 3.3 to 43.0 ng L -1 in the dry, medium and wet seasons, respectively. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was found to be the most abundant PFAS in the dry season, with a composition of 33% ± 5%, Perfluorohexanoic acid PFHxA (47% ± 13%) and perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) (52% ± 15%) were the dominant compounds in the medium and wet seasons, respectively. Seasonal and spatial distributions of ∑PFASs were different in the upstream and downstream sections. High concentration of PFHxA occurred in the medium season, and showed a linear decreasing trend from upstream to downstream. The majority of other PFASs did not show clear seasonal variation. Composition profiles indicated that the JRE was mainly contaminated by short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), shipbuilding industry, multiple wastewater and river runoff were identified as major potential sources., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Coastal upwelling prevails in the coast of Hainan Island, the northern South China Sea (SCS) during summer. We studied the influences of the upwelling on the horizontal and vertical transport of terrigenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs in dissolved and suspended particulate phase of water samples were determined in the upper (depth < 1 m) and water column (depth > 10 m). PAH levels decreased sharply from inshore to offshore to open sea. The results showed that terrestrial input was the main source of coastal PAHs. Perylene, an important indicator of land plant-derived PAH, showed the significant correlation with PAHs (p < 0.005). This implied that fluvial transport was the primary pathway of terrigenous PAHs into the coast of northern SCS. Variations of the concentrations, compositions and diagnostic ratios of PAHs, accompanied the partition equilibrium in the water column, could indicate the selective degradation of PAHs by the plankton affected by upwelling. Different from the "traditional" transport pathway of PAHs in the water column (surface enrichment-depth depletion distribution), the upwelling could provide the original driver to elevate the upward diffusion of sediment entrained contaminants towards the intermediate even the upper waters. It could also enhance the outward diffusion of terrigenous PAHs accompanied by the offshore transport of the upper waters. Therefore, the transport pathway of PAHs can be summarized by the coastal upwelling rising PAHs with their subsequent transport offshore and settling in the adjacent open sea., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The spatial and temporal variations of microcystins (MCs) in fishes with different trophic levels were studied monthly in Lake Chaohu in 2014. MCs content in muscle was highest in phytoplanktivorous Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (H. molitrix), followed by omnivorous Carassius auratus (C. auratus), and was lowest in herbivorous Parabramis pekinensis (P. pekinensis) and carnivorous Coilia ectenes (C. ectenes). MCs concentration in liver was highest in C. auratus, followed by H. molitrix, and was lowest in P. pekinensis and C. ectene. The main uptake routes of MCs for C. auratus and H. molitrix were via the diet. The mechanism to counteract MCs had not been well developed in C. ectenes. H. molitrix and C. auratus from the western region as they had higher mean concentrations of MCs than fishes from the eastern region. The estimated daily intakes of MCs in 45.4% of muscle samples were higher than the provisional tolerable daily intake set by WHO.

Water masses are the crucial factor driving the terrigenous anthropogenic organochlorine compounds (OCs) migration from the coast to open sea. Therefore, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in the Northern South China Sea (NSCS), where different types of water masses are generated by the East Asian summer monsoon: Pearl River estuary plume (PREP), Guangdong offshore eddy (GDEC), South China Sea warm current (SCSWC) and wind-driven upwelling current (WDUC). No discrepant distributions of OC concentrations were found in these water masses (p > 0.05). However, compositions and diagnostic ratios of HCHs, DDTs, trans- or cis-chlordane and PCBs could reflect the discrepancies in the input, transport and transformation of OCs caused by the hydrological characteristics of water masses, therefore, this allowing them to serve as potential tracers of regional water masses. In detail, α/γ-HCH and β-HCH percentages could indicate the weathered residue in the GDEC, long-range transport in the SCSWC, rapid photodegradation in the surface WDUC and biodegradation in the deep WDUC, respectively. The predominance of o, p'-DDT and p, p'-DDT could indicate fresh input in the PREP, GDEC and WDUC. DDT/DDTs of ratios <0.5 also reflected long-range transport in the SCSWC. Different DDD/DDE ratios indicated different oxygen environments of microbial degradation in the surface and deep water of the WDUC. Trans/cis-chlordane ratios could indicate the selective degradation of trans-chlordane in different water masses. Finally, a higher proportion of penta-PCB could reflect the strong paint additive sources carried by river erosion in the PREP., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Historical records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed in two dated sediment cores (DH05 and DH11) collected from the continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) to investigate the influence of anthropogenic activities on marine sediment over the past century. The concentrations and fluxes of 15 PAHs were in the range of 28.6-96.5 ng g -1 and 7.6-35.2 ng cm -2 yr -1 in DH05 (1920s-2009), 18.8-76.4 ng g -1 and 13.9-30.9 ng cm -2 yr -1 in DH11 (1860s-2009). The sedimentary records of PAHs in the two cores generally reflected the economic development and energy consumption change in China. Identification of sources suggested that PAHs in ECS were predominantly from petrogenic origin and various combustion sources. A change of source from low- and moderate-temperature combustion to high-temperature combustion process was observed. Although a production ban of technical HCH and DDT was imposed in China in 1983, their sedimentary fluxes display increasing trends or strong rebounds from 1980s to 1990s as recorded in the core profiles. High proportions of DDD + DDE and γ-HCH suggested those OCPs mainly derived from early residuals. Temporal trends of PCBs presented relative high levels from 1970s to 1980s and high proportions of PCB congeners with 3-6 chlorines atoms indicated industrial sources., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Estuaries and coastal areas strongly influenced by terrestrial inputs resulted from anthropogenic activities. To study the distributions, origins, potential transport and burden of organochlorine compounds (OCs) from river to marginal sea, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in surface sediments collected from a subtropical estuary (Jiulong River Estuary, JRE) and the inner shelf of adjacent Western Taiwan Strait (WTS). The concentrations of OCPs and PCBs were from 5.2 to 551.7 and 1.0-8.1 ng g -1 (dry weight), respectively. OCP concentrations in the JRE were higher than in adjacent WTS, and a decreasing trend with the ascending distance from the estuary to the open sea was observed. Concentrations of DDTs were quite high in the upper reach of the estuary, inferred from antifouling paint on fishing boats of a local shipping company. According to established sediment quality guidelines, DDTs in the JRE posed potential ecological risk. HCHs in the estuary were mainly derived from the weathered HCHs preserved in the agriculture soils via local major river runoffs. OCPs patterns showed that OCPs in the south coast of WTS were resulted from local sources via river input, while OCPs in the north coast attributed to the long-range transport derived by the Fujian-Zhejiang Coastal Current. Minor variations of PCB concentrations and homologs indicated that PCBs were not the main pollutant in the agricultural region, consistent lighter PCBs reflected industrial PCBs were transported via atmospheric deposition derived by East Asia Monsoon. Moreover, the primary distribution pattern founded for DDTs and the considerable mass inventories and burdens calculated (258.1 ng cm -2 and 10.4 tones for OCPs) that higher than Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta, together suggested that the contaminated sediments in the study area may be a potential source of OCPs to the global ocean., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)