Source, transport, and fate of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in turbid bay environments: Significant roles of suspended sediment and water column stratification.

Abstract

The coastal area was the major region receiving pollution from land-based sources into the sea. Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in famous bays had aroused wide concern, but the importance of underdeveloped or small bays with notable levels of PFAAs were often neglected. Moreover, the roles of suspended sediment (SPS) and water column stratification on PFAA behaviors were unclear. In this study, PFAAs distribution in multiphase-multilayer in four underdeveloped bays (two urban bays and two island bays) were investigated. The urban bays not only had higher PFAA contamination but also posed a greater threat of short-chain PFAAs in water-SPS-sediment system than the island bays. The major source of PFAAs in water and SPS was domestic sewage in urban bays and was rainfall-runoff in island bays. Water column stratification with higher PFAA partition in water-SPS system in the surface layer than in the bottom layer was only found in the urban bays due to the higher human activity intensity. These provided new perspectives for managing emerging contaminants and establishing water quality criteria in the turbid coastal environment. The key role of SPS as a carrier offered possibilities to accurately differentiate the effects of dissolved and particulate PFAAs on bioavailability.