Influence of anthropogenic activities on the temporal and spatial variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of Jiangsu coastal zone, China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are important proxies for environmental evaluation. Here we present the analytical results on sixteen PAHs from 139 surface sediment samples and a sediment core (100 cm) from the coastal zone of three typical coastal cities of Jiangsu province in China. Our results suggest that the PAHs concentrations in the coastal area of Yancheng are markedly higher than those reported from sediments in other parts of China and elsewhere in the world. The PAHs pollutants in the study area originated from mixed pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. However, petroleum contaminant was the most likely sources of PAHs in the coastal area of Jiangsu province. The PAHs pollution show an increase from the deeper to shallower layers of the sediments. The flux rate rapidly increased after the 1980s, and correlate with the rapid development of China in the fields of economy, energy consumption and the population.