Polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) content in the peat of a palsa near Eletsky settlement (Bol'shezemel'skaya Tundra)

• Main Authors: Vasil'chuk, Yurij K, Belik, Anna D, Budantseva, Nadine A, Vasil'chuk, Alla Constantinovna, Vasil'chuk, Jessica Yurevna, Zavgordnyaya, Juliya A, Ginzburg, Alexander P, Bludushkina, Liubov
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2021
• Subjects: Bolshezemelskaya_Tundra; Calculated; DEPTH; sediment/rock; Fluoranthene/(Fluoranthene + Pyrene) ratio; High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an Agilent 1260 HPLC; Komi; Russia; Location; PAHs; paleoenvironment; Palsa; peat; Phenanthrene/anthracene ratio; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Sample ID; Vorkuta; Arctic; palsa; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.937482; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.937482

The total content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the peat of a palsa near Eletsky settlement, Vorkuta urban district, Komi Republic, varies from 11 to 360 ppb, with an average of 63 ppb. Heavy compounds, such as benzo(a)anthracene and benzofluoranthenes, are prevalent among PAHs. Benzo(a)anthracene decreases with depth, while benzofluoranthenes increases. The presence of PAHs in the peat is determined by three main factors: technogenic impact, wildfires, and biogeochemical soil processes. The prevalence of benzo(a)anthracene in the upper part of the palsa down to the bottom of the active layer suggests an anthropogenic impact (the influence of transport and domestic fuel combustion). Two sharp peaks of PAHs content (260 and 360 ppb) are observed; they coincide with a local increase of carbon isotope values, most likely resulting from wildfires. The minimums in PAHs content are presumably determined by the biogeochemical factor and the input of polyarenes generated by decomposition of plant residues.