Investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cyclic terpenoid biomarkers in the sediments of fishing harbors in Taiwan

Three fishing harbors were investigated to study the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments and trace possible anthropogenic sources by identification of cyclic terpenoid biomarkers. Seventeen terpanes, 10 steranes and 10 bicyclic sesquiterpanes in the marine diesel and the three kinds of lubricants that are mainly used by fishing boats were identified and quantified. Eighteen biomarker diagnostic ratios are suggested and the correlation coefficients among the lubricants and sediment samples have the R2 value greater than 0.73. Analyzed 16 PAHs in the sediment shows non-normal distributions and the Kruskal Wallis Test shows the significant differences (p value smaller than 0.05) with the greatest variability in benzo[g,h,i]perylene which more than 84% of the effective size (E.S.) is accounted. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was applied and the Kruskal Wallis Test shows a significant difference (p value smaller than 0.05) among certain atoms with the effective size greater than 60%.