Higher allochthonous organic carbon increases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration whereas fossil fuel combustion alters the composition: Evidence from a eutrophic plateau lake in southwest China

Abstract

Understanding the source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is crucial for determining their structural, degradational, and burial characteristics in lake sediments. Here, we used a sediment core to determine the changing sources and burial characteristics of 16 PAHs from Dianchi Lake, southwest China. The ∑16PAH concentrations ranged from 105.10 to 1248.05 ng g−1 (448.97 ± 351.25 ng g−1), exhibiting a sharp increase since 1976. Our results showed that the depositional flux of PAHs has increased by approximately 3.72 times over the past 114 years (1895–2009). The C/N ratio, stable isotopes (δ13Corg and δ15N), and n-alkanes data all indicated that allochthonous contributors of organic carbon have substantially increased since the 1970s, playing an important role in the increase in sedimentary PAHs. Positive matrix factorization indicated that petrogenic sources, coal and biomass combustion, and traffic emissions were the main sources of PAHs. The relationships between PAHs from different sources and total organic carbon (TOC) varied with the sorption characteristics. The effect of TOC on the absorption of high-molecular-weight aromatic PAHs from fossil fuels was significant. A higher risk of lake eutrophication is accompanied by higher allochthonous organic matter imports, which might stimulate an increase in sedimentary PAHs through algal biomass blooms.