Abstract
Sediment cores from the central Beibu Gulf and its northern coastal mangroves were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), the organo-chlorine pesticides dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), to reconstruct the organic pollution history of developing south-west China. Reflecting regional development, in the gulf ∑PAH (38–74 ng g−1) decreased towards the surface after peak concentrations near 10 cm, while ∑DDT (ND – 0.5 ng g−1) increased due to fresh inputs, and HCB (ND – 0.04 ng g−1) occurred only in surface sediments. Profiles in mangrove sediments showed a continuing local scale increase in ∑PAH (29–438 ng g−1) as well as ∑DDT (0.2–41.0 ng g−1) and HCB (0.01–1.01 ng g−1) pollution, despite some variability. No trend was evident for ∑PCB (ND – 0.22 ng g−1), which was not detected in the central gulf. Calculated loads estimate that 2816 ng cm−2 PAHs and 7 ng cm−2 DDTs are stored in depositional areas of the Beibu Gulf. Mangrove sediments, threatened by land-use-change, contain 1400–4600 ng cm−2 PAHs and 34–39 ng cm−2 DDTs.
Published Version
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