Tracing human footprint and the fate of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over the Pearl River Estuary, China: Importance of particle size

Air-sea exchange of PAHs in the Taiwan Strait: Seasonal dynamics and regulation mechanisms revealed by machine learning approach

In this study, to understand the seasonal dynamics of air-sea exchange and its regulation mechanisms, we investigated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at the air-sea interface in the western Taiwan Strait in combination with measurements and machine learning (ML) predictions. For 3-ring PAHs and most of 4- to 6-ring, volatilization and deposition fluxes were observed, respectively. Seasonal variations in air-sea exchange flux suggest the influence of monsoon transitions. Results of interpretable ML approach (XGBoost) indicated that volatilization of 3-ring PAHs was significantly controlled by dissolved PAH concentrations (contributed 24.0 %), and the gaseous deposition of 4- to 6-ring PAHs was related to more contaminated air masses originating from North China during the northeast monsoon. Henry's law constant emerged as a secondary factor, influencing the intensity of air-sea exchange, particularly for low molecular weight PAHs. Among environmental parameters, notably high wind speed emerges as the primary factor and biological pump's depletion of PAHs in surface seawater amplifies the gaseous deposition process. The distinct dynamics of exchanges at the air-water interface for PAHs in the western TWS can be attributed to variations in primary emission intensities, biological activity, and the inconsistent pathways of long-range atmospheric transport, particularly within the context of the monsoon transition.

Effectively removing gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by willow catkins: Do you still dislike the catkins floating?

The floating catkins generated by willow and poplar trees have been criticized for spreading germ and causing fire for decades. It has been found that catkins are with a hollow tubular structure, which made us wonder if the floating catkins can adsorb atmospheric pollutions. Thus, we conducted a project in Harbin, China to investigate whether and how willow catkins could adsorb atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results suggest that both the catkins floating in the air and on the ground preferred to adsorb gaseous PAHs rather than particulate PAHs. Moreover, 3- and 4-ring PAHs were the dominating compositions adsorbed by catkins, which significantly increased with exposure time. The gas/catkins partition (K_CG) was defined, which explained why 3-ring PAHs are more easily adsorbed by catkins than by airborne particles when their subcooled liquid vapor pressure is high (log P_L > -1.73). The removal loading of atmospheric PAHs by catkins were estimated as 1.03 kg/year in the center city of Harbin, which may well explain the phenomenon that levels of gaseous and total (particle + gas) PAHs are relatively low in the months with catkins floating reported in peer-reviewed papers.

Fine particles and pyrogenic carbon fractions regulate PAH partitioning and burial in a eutrophic shallow lake

Aquatic particles and organic carbon (OC) regulate the occurrence and transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water-suspended particle-sediment interfaces. Conventional studies on the mechanisms regulating the relationships between PAHs and total particles/OC have ignored micro-scale regulatory factors such as particle size and OC composition. Field research in the eutrophic shallow Lake Taihu, China, revealed that the fine particle fractions 2.7-10 μm in diameter had stronger PAH adsorption capacity and significantly regulated PAH particle size distribution and water-particle partitioning. Selective PAH biodegradation by planktonic microorganisms probably significantly weakened the capacity of the coarse fractions to regulate PAHs. OC fragments at different temperature gradients had markedly different influences on the particle size distribution of PAHs. High-temperature pyrogenic OC fractions (part of black carbon) were the principal OC regulatory factors for medium-to high-molecular-weight PAHs. However, the OC fragments did not directly affect the particle distribution of low-molecular-weight PAHs. During particle deposition and burial, microbial PAH utilization and efficiency probably regulated the burial potential of various hydrophobic PAH species. Biodegradation of relatively less hydrophobic PAHs with octanol-water partition coefficients (log K_ow) < 5.8 showed an increasing trend with decreasing PAH hydrophobicity. Biological pump action of the relatively higher hydrophobic PAH species (log K_ow > 5.8) showed a decreasing trend with increasing PAH hydrophobicity. The discoveries of the present work further clarified the mechanisms of PAH partitioning and burial in a eutrophic shallow lake and collectively provides a valuable reference for modeling the transport and dispersal mechanisms of hydrophobic, particle-bound organic contaminants in other aquatic ecosystems.

Significant input of organophosphate esters through particle-mediated transport into the Pearl River Estuary, China

Most organophosphate esters (OPEs) enter the marine environment through atmospheric deposition and surface runoff, yet the role of particle-mediated transport in their inputs and loss processes remains poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, samples of size-segregated atmospheric particles, suspended particulate matter (SPM) in seawater, and sediments in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) were collected and analyzed for OPEs. Total concentrations of atmospheric particulate OPEs showed a decreasing trend with increasing offshore distance in the PRE. The spatial and vertical distribution patterns of OPEs in SPM were diverse, which could be largely affected by physicochemical properties of SPM, marine microbial activities, hydrodynamic conditions, and environmental factors. Sediment in the region close to Modaomen outlet was subject to relatively high OPE concentrations. Approximately 24,100 and 65,100 g d^-1 of particulate OPEs were imported into the PRE through atmospheric deposition and surface runoff, respectively; 83,200 g d^-1 of which were exported to the open sea. The input and environmental fate of particulate OPEs were found to be dependent on sources, particulate media, and chemical species. The present study provides insights into the influence of OPEs in the PRE through particle-mediated transport and calls for more concern on anthropogenic impact on the estuary.

Size-fractionated PM-bound PAHs in urban and rural atmospheres of northern Thailand for respiratory health risk assessment

Size-fractionated particulate matters (SPMs) in a range of 9.0 to 0.43 μm, classified based on aerodynamic diameter (d_ae) as fine PMs (0.43 μm ≤ d_ae < 2.1 μm) and coarse PMs (2.1 μm ≤ d_ae < 9.0 μm) were collected by cascade impactors (7 fractions) during smoke haze (SH) and non-smoke haze (NSH) seasons in urban and rural areas of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Their polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compositions were determined for respiratory health risk assessment. During SH episode, concentrations of SPMs and PAHs in the rural area were approximately two times higher than in the urban area and about 62-68% of the SPMs were fine particles. Conversely, during NSH season the concentrations in the urban area were higher due to traffic emission. The finest particle sizes (0.65-0.43 μm) contained the highest PAHs concentrations among the other PM sizes. Benzo[b]fluoranthene was a main PAH component found during SH season suggesting biomass burning is a major pollutant source. High molecular weight (5-6 rings) PAHs with high carcinogenicity were likely to concentrate in fine particles. Distribution patterns of SPMs and PAHs during SH season were bimodal with the highest peak at a fine size range (0.65-0.43 μm) and a small peak at a coarse size range (5.8-4.7 μm). Respiratory health risk was estimated based on toxicity equivalent concentrations of PAHs bound-SPMs and inhalation cancer risk (ICR). Relatively high ICR values (1.14 × 10^-4 (rural) and 6.80 × 10^-5 (urban)) were found during SH season in both areas, in which fine particles played an important role. It revealed that high concentration of fine particles in ambient air is related to high respiratory health risk due to high content of carcinogenic substances.