Mass Balances on Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the New York–New Jersey Harbor

Abstract

Mass balances on 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the New York-New Jersey Harbor (hereafter "the Harbor") were constructed using monitoring data from the water column, sediment, and atmosphere. Inputs considered included tributaries, atmospheric deposition, wastewater treatment plant discharges, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and stormwater runoff. Removal processes examined included tidal exchange between the Harbor and the coastal Bight and Long Island Sound, volatilization, and accumulation or burial of sediment-bound PAHs in the Harbor. The PAHs investigated were fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, perylene, benzo[ghi]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene. The results show inputs and outputs are fairly well balanced for most compounds, a finding that suggests aerobic biodegradation may not be a key loss process in this Harbor, as has been assumed in other systems. The main pathway for inputs of all PAHs is stormwater runoff. Atmospheric deposition is an important conveyor of PAHs with molecular weights < or =202 g mol(-1). A principal objective of this report is to expose key data gaps, which include the need for comprehensive monitoring of both flow and PAH concentrations in stormwater and CSOs. An improved understanding of the key transmission routes of nonpoint source pollutants is essential for sustainable management of urban water resources.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of Six Major Chinese Freshwater Lakes

“…Descriptive statistical analyses for the data were performed with the SAS 9.1 package (SAS Institute, 2004). The concentration ranges, mean values, median values, and standard deviations for each heavy metal in each lake were analyzed.…”

“…T he sedimentary environment is an important part of the aquatic ecosystem. Heavy metals and other pollutants enter aquatic environments via many routes, including atmospheric deposition, surface runoff , and direct discharge via effl uent streams (Tang et al, 2010;Rodenburg et al, 2010). Most heavy metals can be absorbed by sediments or by suspended particulate matter, which subsequently settles to the bottom and is incorporated in the sediments (Dauvalter and Rognerud, 2001;Schindler et al, 1980).…”

Impact of urban pressure on the spatial and temporal dynamics of PAH fluxes in an urban tributary of the Seine River (France)

“…Numerous studies have improved our knowledge of PAH transfers in the environment although they separately addressed the atmosphere (Azimi et al, 2005), soils (Motelay-Massei et al, 2004), river water (Uher et al, 2016), and sediment . In contrast, few studies have investigated the global contamination at the catchment scale by integrating the atmosphere-soil-river continuum to assess the transfer of these contaminants and their persistence (Gateuille et al, 2014a;Rodenburg et al, 2010). Accordingly, few studies consider the spatial and temporal dynamics of PAH inputs and outputs at the catchment scale.…”

Forensic Assessment of Refined Tar-Based Sealers as a Source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Sediments

“…Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment and are commonly found in aquatic sediments (Stout et al, 2004;Rodenburg et al, 2010). Given the multitude of natural and anthropogenic sources that may contribute PAH compounds to sediments, identifying and characterizing PAH sources has been the subject of significant research.…”