Increased zooplankton PAH concentrations across hydrographic fronts in the East China Sea

Chin-Chang Hung; Fung-Chi Ko; Gwo-Ching Gong; Kuo-Shu Chen; Jian-Ming Wu; Hsin-Lun Chiang; Sen-Chueh Peng; Peter H Santschi

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.045

Increased zooplankton PAH concentrations across hydrographic fronts in the East China Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Jun 15;83(1):248-57. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.045. Epub 2014 Apr 26.

Authors

Chin-Chang Hung¹, Fung-Chi Ko², Gwo-Ching Gong³, Kuo-Shu Chen⁴, Jian-Ming Wu⁵, Hsin-Lun Chiang⁵, Sen-Chueh Peng⁶, Peter H Santschi⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oceanography and Asia-Pacific Ocean Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan; Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: cchung@mail.nsysu.edu.tw.
² National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 94450, Taiwan; Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung 94450, Taiwan.
³ Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Institute of Marine Environmental Chemistry and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Oceanography and Asia-Pacific Ocean Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
⁵ Institute of Marine Environmental Chemistry and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Electrical Engineering, National Formosa University, Yunlin 63201, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Marine Sciences, Laboratory for Oceanography and Environmental Research, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553, USA.

PMID: 24775063
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.045

Abstract

The Changjiang has transported large quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the East China Sea (ECS), but information of these pollutants in zooplankton is limited. To understand PAHs pollution in zooplankton in the ECS, total concentrations of PAHs in zooplankton from surface waters were measured. Values of PAHs ranged from 2 to 3500 ng m(-3) in the ECS, with highest PAHs levels located at the salinity front between the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) and the mid-shelf waters. In contrast, concentrations of zooplankton PAHs in the mid-shelf and outer-shelf waters were significantly lower (2-23 ng m(-3)) than those in the CDW. These results demonstrate that PAHs are conspicuously accumulated in zooplankton at the salinity front between the CDW and the mid-shelf waters. These higher levels of PAHs in zooplankton at the salinity front may be further biomagnified in marine organisms of higher trophic levels through their feeding activities.

Keywords: East China Sea; PAH; Salinity front; Zooplankton.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Oceans and Seas
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
Salinity
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Zooplankton / chemistry*

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical