Natural background and anthropogenic inputs of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediments of South-Western Barents Sea

• Published in: Marine Environmental Research
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2011
• Subjects: PAH; TOC; sediments; radiodating; 210 Pb; 137 Cs; petrogenic; biogenic; pyrogenic; human impact; marine environment; MAREANO; Barents Sea; Norway; Bergen
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2262/50300; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.06.013

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured in sediment cores from 13 locations in South-Western Barents Sea as part of a detailed study of the Norwegian seabed under the MAREANO program. The generally low PAH levels found, an average around 200 ng g-1 dry weight for sum PAH, indicate low inputs of petroleum hydrocarbons to the marine environment in the area. Differences in PAH composition and various PAH ratios indicate a natural, mostly petrogenic origin of PAH in sediments from the open sea locations, while the fjord locations show higher pyrogenic PAH contents with an increase towards upper sediment layers, indicating low inputs from human activities. Petrogenic PAH levels increase in deeper sediments at open sea locations, also when normalised to total organic carbon (TOC) contents, suggesting natural leakages of oil-related hydrocarbons in the area. correspondence: Corresponding author. (Boitsov, Stepan) [e-mail] (Boitsov, Stepan) Institute of Marine Research (IMR) - Bergen--> - NORWAY (Boitsov, Stepan) NORWAY (Boitsov, Stepan) Geological Survey of Norway (NGU)--> , Trondheim--> - NORWAY (Jensen, Henning Keiding Bjerreg?rd) Institute of Marine Research (IMR) - Bergen--> - NORWAY (Klungs?yr, Jarle) NORWAY Received: 2008-09-07 Revised: 2009-06-09 Accepted: 2009-06-15