Seasonal variation of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on Anmyeon island

Abstract

Passive air samplers with polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were employed to determine seasonal gas phase variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air on Anmyeon island from March 2007 to January 2008. Sum of 13 PAHs ranged between 3.5 ng/m3 and 27.6 ng/m3. Total PAHs during the heating season was 6.2 times higher than non-heating season. The dominant PAHs components during sampling periods were low and middle molecular weight PAHs including phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene. Gas exchange fluxes of PAHs across the air-water interface of the Yellow Sea were calculated using a modified two-film exchange model. PAHs fluxes ranged from 196 ng/m2/d net volatilization during summer to 3830 ng/m2/d net absorption during winter. Passive air sampler provides a convenient and cost-effective tool for measuring averaged gas phase PAHs, which was successfully used for calculation of gas exchange flux of PAHs in the Yellow Sea.