A large data set obtained by a 1-year monthly determination of water quality from Sanya Bay, South China Sea, was treated by three-way principal component analysis aimed at exploring the spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Sanya Bay. Tucker3 model of optimum complexity (2, 2, 1) explaining 33.18% of the data variance, allowed interpretation of the data information in three modes. The model explained spatial and temporal variation trends in terms of water quality variables during the study period. Water quality in sampling station (S2) Sanya River was mainly influenced by Sanya River, and water quality in other stations (S1, S3-S10) were mainly influenced by the waters in South China Sea. The results delineated the mouth of Sanya River as critical from pollution point of view. The dry season from October to the next April and rainy season from May to September have different influences on water quality in Sanya Bay. The information extracted by the three-way models would be very useful to regional agencies in developing a strategy to carry out scientific plans for resource use based on marine system functions.

No abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) were identified and quantified in surface soils from farmland and riparian areas of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), western China. Generally, the mean values of PAEs and OPEs were 618 and 266 ng/g dry weight (dw) in farmland soil and 560 and 499 ng/g dw in riparian soil, respectively. The occurrence of OPEs should be regarded as a risk factor in the TGR region. Analogous spatial distribution patterns for PAEs were observed with higher concentrations observed at site WZ in both types of soil, which might relate to the anthropogenic activities. The hydrodynamic conditions might be important factors contributing to the slightly different spatial distribution of OPEs. The concentrations of OPEs in riparian soil exceed those in farmland soil at all sampling sites, which could partly be ascribed to the complete operation of the TGR. Dibutyl phthalate (DnBP) was the most dominated PAEs congener in both types of soil. Of particular note is the elevated contribution of tris(methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP), followed by 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP), accounting for more than 90% of the total OPEs, and the shipping or/and the local human activity might be considered as the major contributor. The slight differences in PAEs composition of principal components might largely attribute to the variety of emission sources in two types of soil. The different cluster patterns between two types of soil indicated that the anthropogenic activities as well as the full operation of TGR, may play a role.