TY - JOUR
T1 - Sources and seasonal variation of PAHs in the sediments of drinking water reservoirs in Hong Kong and the Dongjiang River (China)
AU - Liang, Yan
AU - Fung, Pui Ka
AU - Tse, Man Fung
AU - Hong, Hua Chang
AU - Wong, Ming Hung
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgement This study was supported by a grant from the Strategic Research Fund (FSRA/03-04/II-51) awarded by the Faculty of Science, Hong Kong Baptist University and an Earmarked Research Grant (RGC, CERG, 2151/04M) awarded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - The main objective of this study was to investigate occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sources of the drinking water supply of Hong Kong. The main emphasis was on the Dongjiang River in mainland China which is the major source, supplying 80% of the total consumption in Hong Kong (the remaining 20% is obtained from rain water). Sediments were collected from four sites along the Dongjiang River and four reservoirs in Hong Kong during both the dry and wet weather seasons. The concentrations of total PAHs in the sediments ranged between 36 and 539 μg/kg dry wt. The lower levels were detected at the upstream site on the Dongjiang River and at the reservoirs in Hong Kong (44-85 μg/kg dry wt), while the mid- and downstream sites on the Dongjiang River were more polluted (588-658 μg/kg dry wt). Examination of the PAH profiles revealed that the mid- and downstream sections of the Dongjiang River contained high percentages of 4,5,6-ring PAHs, similar to the amounts of atmospheric particulate matter and road dust collected during the dry weather season from the Pearl River Delta region as reported in the literature. Seasonal changes were revealed in the reservoirs of Hong Kong, with higher PAH levels in the wet weather season than in the dry weather season. For those reservoirs in Hong Kong that store water from the Dongjiang River, a distinct seasonal pattern was also observed, namely, that under dry weather season conditions the PAHs found in the sediments were primarily from petrogenic source, while under wet weather season conditions they were from pyrolytic sources. No such pattern was detected in the reservoirs which stored only rain water.
AB - The main objective of this study was to investigate occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sources of the drinking water supply of Hong Kong. The main emphasis was on the Dongjiang River in mainland China which is the major source, supplying 80% of the total consumption in Hong Kong (the remaining 20% is obtained from rain water). Sediments were collected from four sites along the Dongjiang River and four reservoirs in Hong Kong during both the dry and wet weather seasons. The concentrations of total PAHs in the sediments ranged between 36 and 539 μg/kg dry wt. The lower levels were detected at the upstream site on the Dongjiang River and at the reservoirs in Hong Kong (44-85 μg/kg dry wt), while the mid- and downstream sites on the Dongjiang River were more polluted (588-658 μg/kg dry wt). Examination of the PAH profiles revealed that the mid- and downstream sections of the Dongjiang River contained high percentages of 4,5,6-ring PAHs, similar to the amounts of atmospheric particulate matter and road dust collected during the dry weather season from the Pearl River Delta region as reported in the literature. Seasonal changes were revealed in the reservoirs of Hong Kong, with higher PAH levels in the wet weather season than in the dry weather season. For those reservoirs in Hong Kong that store water from the Dongjiang River, a distinct seasonal pattern was also observed, namely, that under dry weather season conditions the PAHs found in the sediments were primarily from petrogenic source, while under wet weather season conditions they were from pyrolytic sources. No such pattern was detected in the reservoirs which stored only rain water.
KW - Atmospheric deposition
KW - Dongjiang River
KW - Pearl River Delta Region
KW - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
KW - Urban runoff
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=53649087588&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10661-007-0058-8
DO - 10.1007/s10661-007-0058-8
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 18058251
AN - SCOPUS:53649087588
SN - 0167-6369
VL - 146
SP - 41
EP - 50
JO - Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
JF - Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
IS - 1-3
ER -