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Abstract
We investigated the concentration, composition, and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from the Matsushima Bay area (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) in 2013—an area that experienced significant destruction in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunamis of March 2011—using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Their PAH concentration and composition were compared with those of sediment samples collected in Tokyo Bay, which had not suffered similar impacts from the tsunamis. The PAH composition in the sediment collected in the Matsushima Bay area was dominated by phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene. These data suggest that the PAHs in the sediment are a result of combustion, and that oil pollution is now a negligible source of these pollutants in this area. The lowest total PAH concentration (84 μg/kg dry) was found in the outer area of the bay near Miyato-jima Island, an area permitting high-volume inflow and outflow from the open sea. The highest concentration (15,548 μg/kg dry) was at a former fishing harbor, located in the innermost area of the bay. The large difference in PAH concentrations between sites in Matsushima Bay may be attributable to particle redeposition after sediment disturbance by the tsunamis.
Acknowledgments
We thank all members of Okoshi Laboratory, Toho University, for their assistance with sampling activities and in providing useful comments. In particular, we would like to thank to Mr. Wataru Shinohara for his valuable support in sample collection and help with the cluster analysis. Further, we thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing. We are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers who critically reviewed the manuscript and made important suggestions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.