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THE SOURCES, TRANSPORT, AND FATE OF PAHS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
Citation:
Latimer, J S. AND J. Zheng. THE SOURCES, TRANSPORT, AND FATE OF PAHS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT. P.E.T. Douben (ed.), PAHs: An Ecological Perspective. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated, New York, NY, , 9-33, (2003).
Description:
PAHs are a class of aromatic compounds that can potentially impact a broad-spectrum of marine organisms. They can be formed naturally by low-temperature, high pressure reactions of natural organic matter and in this way constitute a significant fraction of petroleum hydrocarbons. They are also generated from incomplete combustion of wood and petroleum products. PAHs are found throughout the marine environment in air, water, sediment, and biota, even in remote areas of the globe. Finally, some PAHs, for example, perylene, can be formed from the breakdown of natural organic matter, such as peat, in the aquatic environment. This chapter will provide a summary of the important sources, transport, and fate processes of PAHs in the marine environment. The following topics will be included: anthropogenic sources, spatial source trends, major transport routes and processes, global mass balances, spatial distributions in sea water, and marine sediments.