Concentrations of PAHs and 137Cs in Sediments from the Yangtze River Estuary and Estimation of Discharge Flux into the East China Sea
Sediments serve as important sinks for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)and thus are an effective means of monitoring environmental quality.The radionuclide cesium-137(137Cs)is one of the prevalent radionuclides in the environment as a result of atomic weapons projects.137Cs distribution in surface environments is a key dataset for studying soil erosion and transport.In this study,surface sediments were collected from Chongming Island,Changxing Island,and the coastal area of Lingang in the Yangtze River Estuary.Their PAHs and 137Cs concentrations were analyzed.Combined with reported data on PAHs and 137Cs in sediments and soils from the Yangtze River Basin,the relative concentration ranges of PAHs and 137Cs in sediments were proposed,and applied in estimating the flux of PAHs into the sea from the Yangtze River.The results showed that the concentrations of 16PAHs and 137Cs in surface sediments of the Yangtze River Estuary ranged from 8.6 to 326 μg/kg(mean 100±63 μg/kg)and from 0.23 to 1.18 Bq/kg(mean 0.68 Bq/kg),respectively.The ratio of PAHs to 137Cs ranged from 70 to 150 μg/Bq.The estimated flux of particulate PAHs exported from the Yangtze River to the East China Sea ranged from 32 to 68 t/a.
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