Spatial and temporal distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from Poyang Lake, China

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 22 surface sediment samples and an approximately 100-year scale sediment core collected from Poyang Lake. This valuable sediments enable analysis of spatial and temporal distribution patterns of PAH sources, and determine the anthropogenic impacts on Poyang Lake. Total PAH concentrations in the surface sediments ranged from 73.2 to 367.2 ng/g dw, and higher residues were encountered in regions with high-density populations and intensive human activities. Total PAH concentrations in the sediment core ranged from 42.0 to 334.0 ng/g dw and were grouped in two clusters (pre-1990s and post-1990s to the present). PAH concentrations in sediments changed both temporally and spatially, suggesting a difference in PAH sources. Before the 1990s, major PAH sources in the sediment core were from coal, wood and grass combustion. This finding naturally agrees with open lake conditions on a spatial scale, which were related to agricultural activities. Petroleum combustion from industrialization and urbanization has become the predominant PAH source in the sediment core from the 1990s to the present and corresponds to sources observed in the southwestern lake near the relatively developed Nanchang City. In the northern lake leading to the Yangtze River, certain petroleum-related contaminants from shipping have become the main PAH sources. The different PAH sources observed in sediments generally reflect the degree of socio-economic development in the Poyang Lake valley, which is consistent with the local written records, indirectly validating the connection of sediment PAH records to the history of human activities in and around Poyang Lake.