Spatial Distributions and Seasonal Variations of Dissolved Black Carbon in the Bohai Sea, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Huang, G. P.; Chen, Y. J.; Tian, C. G.; Tang, J. H.; Zhang, H.; Luo, Y. M.; Li, J., and Zhang, G., 2016. Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of dissolved black carbon in the Bohai Sea, China. To investigate the temporal and spatial variations of dissolved black carbon (DBC) concentrations in the Bohai Sea, China, 495 seawater samples on 141 sites were collected in different water depths and seasons in six cruises from 2010 to 2014 for DBC quantification by the molecular marker method-benzene polycarboxylic acid method. The average concentration of DBC was 96.6 ± 32.9μg L−1(n = 495)in the entire Bohai Sea,while it was 136.2 ± 33.7 μg L−1(n = 28) in the Laizhou Bay, 131.2 ± 30.3 μg L−1(n = 44) in the Bohai Bay, 86.3± 16.1μg L−1(n = 66) in the Liaodong Bay, 89.6±19.8μg L−1(n = 277) in the Central Bohai Basin and 57.8 ± 8.6 μg L−1(n = 80) in the Bohai Strait respectively. DBC concentrations showed a distinct decreasing trend from coastal area to offshore area and from the internal Bohai Sea...