Ranking of factors which influence PAHs distribution in river sediments

What is it about?

This paper presents the outcomes of a comprehensive investigation into the variability of PAHs in river sediments. Considering the fact that past research studies on sediment pollution have commonly compared PAHs concentrations between seasons, land uses and species, the key points of differences between this paper and past research papers is that the main focus was to bridge the knowledge gap in relation to: (1) the ranking of factors in terms of their influence on PAH distribution in sediments; (2) the variability in PAH concentrations when sediment pollution is affected by similar land uses; and (3) the distribution characteristics of different PAHs species.

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Why is it important?

The sediment environment provides habitat for fauna and flora. As pollutants can interchange between water and sediments, pollution will exert a significant influence on the water environment. Previous studies on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) pollution of sediments have primarily focused on the comparison of concentrations between seasons, land uses and species. Studies on the identification of the hierarchy of factors which influence PAHs distribution and its variability in river sediments are limited. This paper discusses a comprehensive investigation into the inherent variability of PAHs in sediments and the primary factors which influence this variability.

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