Consumption- and Income-Based Sectoral Emissions of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in China from 2002 to 2017

A review of the pollution signatures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of the East China Sea

Marine sediments serve as crucial reservoirs for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and their PAH signatures offer valuable historical pollution records. This article provides a comprehensive review of the pollution status of 16 priority PAHs in more than 1000 sediments from the East China Sea (ECS). It focuses on the PAH sources, spatiotemporal distributions, driving factors, and ecological risks, with information derived from peer-reviewed papers published between 2003 and 2023. The results revealed that vehicular emissions, mixed combustion sources of coal, biomass, and coke, as well as petrogenic sources, were the primary contributors to PAH pollution in the ECS sediments, accounting for 50%, 34%, and 16%, respectively. Human activities, hydrodynamic mechanisms, and environmental variables such as particle size and organic matter, collectively influenced the distribution of PAHs. Additionally, the population size and economic development played a key role in the temporal distribution of PAHs in the ECS sediments. The ecotoxicity assessment of PAHs in sediments indicated a low risk level. These outcomes are expected to provide environmentalists with detailed and up-to-date insights into sedimentary PAHs in the ECS, helping to develop suitable monitoring plans and strategies for promoting better management of ECS environment.

Examining diverse remediation mechanisms of biochar in soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) of various ring structures: A global meta-analysis

Biochar is a widely recognized solution for addressing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. However, it is unclear how the different physicochemical properties of PAHs affect remediation mechanisms, thereby affecting the remediation efficiency of biochar. In this study, a meta-analysis of 56 studies with 2236 observations was conducted to quantify the contributions of the preparation parameters and physicochemical properties of biochar, soil properties, and application measures to remediation efficiency. The research results revealed that PAH contents in the contaminated soil were significantly reduced by an average of 24.99 % after the application of biochar. Random Forest analysis identified feedstock, biochar SSA, soil pH, and rate of biochar application to be the most critical factors among the four categories. The reduction of PAH contents in the contaminated soil first decreased from 37.61 % to 17.44 % and then increased to 40.29 % with an increase in the number of aromatic rings from 2 to 6. Our study results suggest that biochar prepared from bio-waste at low temperatures could be favorable for reducing the content of NAP in soil. Wood-derived biochar pyrolyzed at a relatively high temperature is recommended for remediation of soil contaminated with PAHs with 5 or 6 aromatic rings. Our study provides a new perspective and an optimized strategy for the remediation of PAH-contaminated soils with biochar.

Construction of a methodology framework to characterize dynamic full-sector land-use carbon emissions embodied in trade

The globally massive land-use changes associated with unprecedented urbanization rate are leading to prodigious quantities of carbon emissions. Nonetheless, the dynamics of land-use carbon emissions, particularly driven by supply-chain activities across all relevant industrial sectors, remain largely unexplored, especially in non-agricultural sectors. Here, we constructed a novel methodological framework to quantify full-sector land-use carbon emissions in Shenzhen, China, an international megacity grappling with acute land resource scarcity. Then, we integrated this framework with multiregional input-output analysis to uncover the multi-scale embodied land-use emissions propelled by Shenzhen's supply-chain activities. Our results indicate a marked increase in Shenzhen's embodied carbon emissions, approximately two orders of magnitude greater than its physical emissions, tripling during 2005-2018. Remarkably, non-agriculture sectors contributed 81.3-90.5 % of physical and 46.6-58.4 % of embodied land-use emissions. The land-use changes occurred outside Shenzhen accounted for 6.5-13.3 % of Shenzhen's total embodied land-use emissions. The sectoral analysis revealed a transition from traditional manufacturing (e.g., metallurgy, chemical products, textiles, wood products) in 2010-2015 to high-tech sectors (e.g., electronic equipment and other manufacture) in 2015-2018. This shift was primarily attributed to concurrent industry transfer actions, leading to aggressive changes in land-use emission intensity discrepancies within and outside Shenzhen. This study provides a scientific basis for designing effective strategies to mitigate land-use carbon emissions associated with supply-chain activities.

Transport proteins and their differential roles in the accumulation of phenanthrene in wheat

The study focuses on the uptake, accumulation, and translocation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cereals, specifically exploring the role of peroxidase (UniProt accession: A0A3B5XXD0, abbreviation: PX1) and unidentified protein (UniProt accession: A0A3B6LUC6, abbreviation: UP1) in phenanthrene solubilization within wheat xylem sap. This research aims to clarify the interactions between these proteins and phenanthrene. Employing both in vitro and in vivo analyses, we evaluated the solubilization capabilities of recombinant transport proteins for phenanthrene and examined the relationship between protein expression and phenanthrene concentration. UP1 displayed greater transport efficiency, while PX1 excelled at lower concentrations. Elevated PX1 levels contributed to phenanthrene degradation, marginally diminishing its transport. Spectral analyses and molecular dynamics simulations validated the formation of stable protein-phenanthrene complexes. The study offers crucial insights into PAH-related health risks in crops by elucidating the mechanisms of PAH accumulation facilitated by transport proteins.

Modeling the long-term fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and public health risk in Bohai Bay Sea Area, China

The target of this study was to reconstruct the historical concentration, distribution, variation, and exposure risk evaluation for EPA PAHs to the whole sea of Bohai Bay and the coastal population, by employing a specific dynamic multimedia model during 1950-2050. The unsteady-state model, driven by temporal energy activities from 1950 and sustainable scenarios based on socioeconomic development, indicated the annual emission increased by 4.6 times (from 84.8 tons to 391 tons) until 2020 and resulted in concentrations up to 5.2 times in the atmospheric compartment, and 4.9 times in seawater. Two peak concentrations in 1997 and 2014, consistent with total PAHs input revealed significant regional anthropogenic input in northern Bohai Bay (Tianjin) and southern Bohai Bay (Hebei). The peak-to-peak values of the timing concentration revealed a notably alternative increase in the south (+109.4 %-128.6 %), instead of the rapid decline in the north (-21.5 %-44.5 %). The dominant processes at air-seawater interfaces were air-seawater molecular transfer (from 38.4 % to 51.8 %), and wet deposition (from 60.5 % to 47.5 %). Under 5 shared socioeconomic pathways, the optimal scenario (SSP1) achieved a 24.7 % emission decline, an atmospheric decrease of 15.1 %-31.1 %, and 24.8 %-41.2 % mitigation in seawater during 2020-2050, and each pathway exhibited a general lessening concave in the northern developed municipality, compared with convex in the southern developing regions. The inhalation risk assessment evaluated 10 generations living on Bohai Bay coasts, with an acceptable result, while the current sustainable conceive was with meager fruition in reducing risk.

Bayesian-Based Approaches to Exploring the Long-Term Alteration in Trace Metals of Surface Water and Its Driving Forces

Trace metal pollution poses a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, characterizing the long-term environmental behavior of trace metals and their driving forces is essential for guiding water quality management. Based on a long-term data set from 1990 to 2019, this study systematically conducted the spatiotemporal trend assessment, influential factor analysis, and source apportionment of trace elements in the rivers of the German Elbe River basin. Results show that the mean concentrations of the given elements in the last 30 years were found in the order of Fe (1179.5 ± 1221 μg·L^-1) ≫ Mn (209.6 ± 181.7 μg·L^-1) ≫ Zn (52.5 ± 166.2 μg·L^-1) ≫ Cu (5.3 ± 5.5 μg·L^-1) > Ni (4.4 ± 8.3 μg·L^-1) > Pb (3.3 ± 4.4 μg·L^-1) > As (2.9 ± 2.3 μg·L^-1) > Cr (1.8 ± 2.4 μg·L^-1) ≫ Cd (0.3 ± 1.1 μg·L^-1) > Hg (0.05 ± 0.12 μg·L^-1). Wavelet analyses show that river flow regimes and flooding dominated the periodic variations in metal pollution. Bayesian network suggests that the hydrochemical factors (i.e., TOC, TP, TN, pH, and EC) chemically influenced the metal mobility between water and sediments. Furthermore, the source apportionment computed by the Bayesian multivariate receptor model shows that the given element contamination was typically attributed to the geogenic sources (17.5, 95% confidence interval: 13.1-17.6%), urban and industrial sources (22.1, 18.0-27.2%), arable soil erosion (24.2, 16.4-31.5%), and historical anthropogenic activities (35.2, 32.8-43.3%). The results provided herein reveal that both the hydrochemical influence on metal mobility and the chronic disturbance from anthropogenic activities caused the long-term variation in trace metal pollution.

A comprehensive framework for identifying contributing factors of soil trace metal pollution using Geodetector and spatial bivariate analysis

The accurate identification of pollution sources is important for controlling soil pollution. However, the widely used Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model generally relies on knowledge and experience to accurately identify pollution sources; thus, this method faces significant challenges in objectively identifying soil pollution sources. Herein, we established a comprehensive source analysis framework using factor identification and geospatial analysis, and revealed the factors contributing to trace metal(loid) (TM) pollution in soil in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), China. Using the PMF model, we initially considered that the PRD may be affected by natural, atmospheric, traffic and industrial, and agricultural sources. Moreover, Geodetector model detected the relationship between TMs and 12 environmental variables based on the strong spatial "source-sink" relationship of pollutants. The parent material and digital elevation model were the key factors predicting the accumulation of Cr, Ni, and Cu. Industries and roads were the most important determinants of Pb, Zn, and Cd, whereas atmospheric deposition was more important for Hg accumulation. The accumulation of As was found to be closely related to agricultural activities such as the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The spatial autocorrelation between soil TM pollution and environmental variables further supports this hypothesis. Overall, the obtained results showed that proposed approach improved the accuracy of source apportionment and provided a basis for soil pollution control.

Quantitative assessment of the contribution of soil organic matter functional groups and heteroatoms to PAHs adsorption based on the COSMO-RS model

Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered as a pivotal factor influencing the adsorption of pollutants. However, few prior quantitative investigations of the SOM functional group distribution to the contaminants' fate have been conducted. In this paper, the SOM cluster method based on COSMO-RS theory has been conducted to illustrate the chemical composition variables of SOM that affect the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) fate in quantitative terms. In the theoretical simulations, the contributions of carbonyl, carboxyl, aromatic, oxyalkyl and aliphatic groups in SOM to phenanthrene (Phe) and pyrene (Pyr) adsorption are evaluated by calculating the partition coefficients (LogP). The results show that the increase in oxyalkyl content leads to a decrease in LogP. Inversely, carbonyl and carboxyl groups of SOMs positively associated with Phe adsorption. The changes in aromatic and alkyl components have a similar magnitude of influence on LogP. Moreover, the effect of non-carbon-based functional groups in SOM on the Phe partitioning has been examined for the first time. The increase of sulfur and nitrogen content in SOM hinder Phe adsorption, while the rise of phosphorus content promotes the adsorption. In soil adsorption experiments, four natural soils, characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT), are selected to verify the influence of SOM functional group distribution. Comparing the experimental SOM-water partition coefficient (LogK_oc) with the simulation predicted LogP suggests that the COSMO-RS based SOM cluster method can predict PAHs adsorption ability in SOM.

Particle size-resolved emission characteristics of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures from various combustion sources

Combustion of domestic solid fuels is a significant source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Some oxygenated PAHs (o-PAHs) and PAHs with molecular weight of 302 (MW302 PAHs) are more toxic than the traditional 16 priority PAHs, whereas their emissions were much less elucidated. This study characterized the size-dependent emissions of parent PAHs (p-PAHs), o-PAHs, and MW302 PAHs from various combustion sources. The estimated emission factors (eEFs) from biomass burning sources were highest for most of the PAHs (391-8928 μg/kg), much higher than that of anthracite coal combustion (43.0-145 μg/kg), both which were operated in an indoor stove. Cigarette smoking had a high eEF of o-PAHs (240 ng/g). MW302 PAHs were not found in the emissions of smoking, cooking, and vehicular exhausts. Particle-size distributions of PAHs were compound- and source-dependent, and the tendency to associate with smaller particles was observed especially in biomass burning and cigarette smoking sources. Furthermore, the inter-source differences in PAH eEFs were associated with their dominance in fine particles. PAH composition profiles also varied with the particle size, showing increasing contributions of large-molecule PAHs with decreasing sizes in most cases. The size distributions of p-PAHs are much more significantly dependent on their n-octanol/air partition coefficients and vapor pressures than those of o-PAHs, suggesting differences in mechanisms governing their distributions. Several molecular diagnostic ratios (MDRs), including two based on MW302 PAHs, specific to these combustion scenarios were identified. However, the MDRs within some sources are also strongly size-dependent, providing a new explanation for the uncertainty in their application for source identification of PAHs. This work also highlights the necessity for understanding the size-resolved atmospheric behaviors and fate of PAHs after their emission.

Towards low-carbon domestic circulation: Insights from the spatiotemporal variations and socioeconomic determinants of emissions embedded within cross-province trade in China

For a country like China with unbalanced development pattern among provinces, domestic circulation (i.e., cross-province trade) is important for the long-term stability and prosperous development of economic market. However, with the rapid advance of integration of domestic regional economy, while expanding the internal market scale and deepening the provincial division of labor network for promoting the economic growth, the carbon emissions embedded within the cross-province traded products and services cannot be underestimated. Under the background of climate-trade dilemma, it is necessary to exploring the spatiotemporal variations and socioeconomic determinants of provincial "invisible" carbon emissions for a better understanding of trade-induced eco-environmental effects. To that end, this study developed an environmental-economic system model through integrating the environmentally extended multiregional input-output method and weighted average structural decomposition analysis technique to explore the trade-related emissions at the provincial level and generate the mitigation-management strategies for decisionmakers. Overall, more than half the emissions were embedded within cross-province goods and services trade over the whole study period. Furthermore, the distribution of traded emissions showed obvious spatial heterogeneity and great unbalance was existed between provincial imports and exports. Among all provinces, carbon surplus provinces were always more than deficit ones and the trading patterns of approximately 65% regions remained unchanged during 2007-2017. Remarkably, the emissions trading pattern undergone transition from carbon deficit to carbon surplus in provinces like Henan, Hubei, Guizhou, and so on. Conversely, provinces like Jilin, Shanghai, and Xinjiang showed opposite change. With the prevalence of online payment and electronic commerce in the future, the central and sub-national government could consider launching a pilot project for the design and creation of personal carbon consumption account in the carbon surplus provinces such as Guangdong, Henan, and Jiangsu. Meanwhile, for the provinces with larger carbon exports, it is necessary to establish the horizontal high technical transfer channels and vertical compensation mechanisms such as financial subsidies for improving the low-carbon production level. Our findings provided a holistic depict of national traded emissions at the provincial level, highlighting the importance of cross-province emission effect in exploring ways to promote the low-carbon transition of domestic circulation and fulfill the high-quality development of 'dual circulation' new pattern and successful achievement of 'double carbon' solemn commitment.

Global trade drives transboundary transfer of the health impacts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions

International trade leads to a redistribution of pollutant emissions related to the production of goods and services and subsequently affects their severe health impacts. Here, we present a framework of emissions inventories, input-output model, numerical atmospheric chemistry model, and estimates of the global burden of disease. Specifically, we assess emissions and health impacts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a carcinogenic byproduct of production activities, and consider income, production, final sale, and consumption stages of the global supply chain between 2012 and 2015. We find that in 2015, global anthropogenic PAH emissions were 304 Gg (95% CI: 213~421 Gg) and estimated related lifetime lung cancer deaths were 6.9 × 10⁴ (95% CI: 1.8 × 10⁴~1.5 × 10⁵ deaths). The role of trade in driving the PAH-related health risks was greater than that in driving the emissions. Our findings indicate that international cooperation is needed to optimise the global supply chains and mitigate PAH emissions and health impacts.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment-porewater system from the East China Sea: Occurrence, partitioning, and diffusion

The distribution, partitioning behavior, and diffusion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within sediment-porewater system were determined in two cores obtained from the Min-Zhe coastal mud of the East China Sea (ECS). Depth profiles of apparently dissolved PAH levels exhibited greater variabilities, with their elevated levels at depth and a high abundance of two-to three-ring PAHs observed. These distribution and composition patterns were inconsistent with the corresponding sediment PAHs, indicating differences in controlling factors for PAHs present in the system. In addition to compound's hydrophobicity, low detection of heavier PAHs in porewater was possibly correlated with the sediment transport process, as indicated by a relatively high weathering ratio in southern Min-Zhe coastal mud. PAH sorption affinity to the collected core sediments exhibited a generally decreasing trend downcore, as expressed by sediment-porewater partition coefficients. This was consistent with the higher content of porewater PAHs in deep core sediment. The established sediment total organic carbon (TOC)-porewater partitioning profiles in cores were predicted with amorphous organic carbon (AOC)-, coal tar-, and TOC-based distribution models, suggesting a dominant nonlinear sorption of PAHs to AOC. Through activity determinations, PAH diffusion within porewater was elucidated, with significant upward and downward mass transfer for PAHs occurring in both cores. The upward diffusion in the core collected from northern Min-Zhe coastal mud was in significant association with sediment TOC. This suggests that sediment TOC (especially AOC)-desorption of lighter PAHs into porewater, and therefore the possibility of their participation in environmental cycling. Baseline toxicity potential and toxic unit calculations indicated a relatively low exposure risk for benthic organisms to porewater PAHs.

Effects of urbanization on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in China's estuarine rivers

Estuarine rivers are the primary medium for transporting pollutants from human activities to the ocean. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have substantial toxicity and pose a significant risk to ecosystem and human health. However, the influences of urbanization on their distribution, particularly in China where urbanization is occurring rapidly, remain unclear. This study took three coastal economic circles of China as research areas, and investigated PAHs (16 species) in the estuarine river water. 95.9% of the sampling sites demonstrated moderate PAHs pollution and moderate ecological risk. Coal and petroleum combustion was the primary source of PAHs, but the source composition varied among the regions. Air pollution caused by energy emissions, particularly carbon emissions, has a critical and differential effect on PAHs distribution and deposition. With the increasing use of clean energy, PAHs emissions have been gradually reduced, which provides an effective option for PAHs reduction in a rapidly urbanizing coastal region.

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in typical oasis soil of north-western China and the bacterial community response

Oases environments in oases to be sensitive to anthropogenic activity because of ecological fragility. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution resulting from anthropogenic activity leads to ecological degradation in oases. To examine the impact of anthropogenic activity on the oasis ecological environment, the present study focused on the spatial distribution and source apportionment of soil PAHs and bacterial community responses in typical oases in Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the soil PAH level were higher in the city centres of Urumqi (9-6340 μg kg^-1), Aksu (8-957 μg kg^-1) and Korla (8-1103 μg kg^-1) and lower in the centres of Hotan city (11-268 μg kg^-1) and Qira county (7-163 μg kg^-1). Source apportionment suggested that gasoline emissions, diesel emissions, vehicle emissions, coal combustion, coke processing and biomass burning were the sources of soil PAHs. The integrated lifetime cancer risks of soil PAH exceeding the guideline safety values (10^-6) recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency. The ingestion and dermal exposure pathways caused the greatest health risk (contribution ≤82%). Additionally, in the soil with low PAH concentrations, the richness and evenness of the soil bacterial community were great, and the molecular ecological network (MEN) structure was complex. Among populations, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria (relative abundance ≥17%) are the main dominant species in the bacterial communities and the keystone species in the MEN.

Global Trends and Drivers in Consumption- and Income-Based Emissions of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of the most hazardous substances. As unavoidable byproducts of petrogenic and pyrogenic processes, their emissions are dominantly linked to various economic sectors. In international trade, not only final consumption but also primary input can transfer the emissions among regions. Therefore, a long-term impact assessment of the international trade on PAH global emissions based on the final consumption and primary input could significantly benefit worldwide PAH mitigation strategies. This study investigated the changes in consumption- and income-based PAH emissions and interregional flows of worldwide regions, using the latest available data from 1999 to 2014. Results show that in 2014, 16.8 and 10.1% of global PAH emissions were transferred by consumption and primary input through international trade. Meanwhile, the production-, consumption-, and income-based emissions in most regions were decreasing. Furthermore, from the consumption-based perspective, sub-Saharan Africa surpassed China and became the largest net exporter of consumption-based emissions. From the income-based perspective, the net income-based outflows of India and the rest of Asia increased significantly, indicating the income-based emission leakage in emerging markets. From the socioeconomic perspective, emission intensity dominated the global decline in PAH emissions. As the two main factors driving the increase in emissions, the primary input structure (41%) had a larger effect than the final demand level (28%) from 1999 to 2014. Therefore, global cooperation, through the mitigation strategies of reducing emission factors and improving international trade patterns, is posited as an efficient strategy to reduce PAH pollution and related health risks.

Temporal and spatial characteristics of PAHs in oysters from the Pearl River Estuary, China during 2015-2020

Estuary connects the inland freshwater and open seawater, which may become a sink for pollutants from land-derived outflows, especially for persistent organic pollutants (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs). Due to complex fluctuation in estuary, it's difficult to achieve a comprehensive assessment of the pollution characteristics by grabbed environmental samples. Oysters serve as efficient biomonitors of pollution status in highly dynamic and anthropogenically impacted estuaries, like the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China. Here, we investigated the annual, seasonal, and spatial variations of PAHs in the soft tissues of oysters from the PRE over the last six years (2015-2020) and quantitatively analyzed the influence of environmental factors on PAH occurrence in the oysters. The concentrations of Σ₁₅PAH in oysters ranged from 74 to 1164 (337 ± 218) ng/g dry wt., with a peak occurrence in 2017. Highly seasonal and geographical variations in PAH pollution were documented in the PRE, with higher concentrations in oysters during the wet season than dry season, and in the eastern coast than western coast. Furthermore, geographical variation in PAH levels in the oysters was enhanced during the wet season, indicating a possible contribution of heavy rainfall flushing from the Pearl River. In addition to precipitation, water temperature and salinity also significantly influenced PAH levels in the oysters from the PRE by changing the bioavailability and biokinetics. Long-term biomonitoring using oysters in the current study reflected the pollution status and variation trends of PAHs in the highly dynamic PRE.

The impact of national energy structure on the concentrations, environmental behavior, and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in riverine and coastal sediments of the Beibu Gulf, China

In this study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in sediments of the Beibu Gulf in 2017 to investigate sources and a risk assessment. The results showed the total PAH concentration (∑₁₆PAHs) in sediments of the Beibu Gulf in 2017 (17.6 ± 16.7 ng g^-1) was significantly lower than that in 2010 (47.8 ± 27.4 ng g^-1). The ∑₁₆PAHs concentrations varied spatially within the Beibu Gulf, impacted by point source pollution. The results of adsorption/desorption and water-air partitioning suggest that the environmental behavior of PAHs in the Beibu Gulf is affected by atmospheric deposition and sediment-water partitioning. A risk assessment showed that the PAHs in sediments were within a safety threshold. Three source apportionment methods show that oil spills and oil and biomass burning were the most important (>83.8%) sources of PAHs in sediments of the Beibu Gulf.

Deposition records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and black carbon in peat core from Dajiuhu, Shennongjia, Central China: human activity imprint since the industrial revolution

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a kind of organic pollutants with carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects. This study aims to assess the effects of changes in China's socio-economic indicators represented by energy consumption and number of motor vehicles, on PAHs and black carbon (BC) deposition. For this, a 50-cm peat core from Dajiuhu peatland, Central China, was collected and divided into 50 subsamples to establish a sedimentary record of about 200 years with radioactive ²¹⁰Pb. The Σ₁₆PAH concentration ranged from 212.67 to 830.10 ng·g^-1, mainly composed of 2- and 3-ring PAHs, and BC ranged from 7.89 to 36.48%. The deposition characteristics of BC first increased and then decreased from the core bottom to the top. The predominant of the carcinogenic PAHs (C-PAHs) was Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA) before 1949, and then changed to Benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF). Ratio of Fla/Pyr, (3+4)-ring/(5+6)-ring PAHs, and BaA/(BaA+Chr), IcdP/(IcdP+BghiP) suggested that long-range atmospheric transmission (LRAT) and pyrogenic were the main PAHs sources, but that local PAH emission contribution gradually increased since 1990, and mixed (petroleum and combustion) sources were the dominant since 2000. The high concentration of Phenanthrene (Phe) and Naphthalene (Nap) were likely from plant product. Furthermore, increased concentrations of 4-, 5-, and 6-ring PAHs showed significant correlations with increased coal and petroleum consumption and the number of motor vehicles, respectively, and this influence has strengthened after 2000. These were caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization following the implementation of the reform and opening up policy in 1978, and a new round of urbanization after 2000.