Abstract:

In the 2003 Chinese Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 2003) aboard the Xuelong, ocean air samples were collected to analyze gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Only 2—4 ring PAHs were detected in gas phase, and phenanthrene was the most abundant with an average of 55.1% in total PAHs. The total concentration of 10 PAHs, Σ_ 10 PAHs, ranged from 1043.9 2993.1 pg/m~3 during the transect. Spatial distribution showed a pattern of Fareast Asia> north Pacific Ocean > the Arctic. Gaseous PAHs were decreased with the increasing latitudes. The relationship between concentrations and temperature by Clausius-Clapeyron equation indicated that temperature was the main factor governing the transportation of gas-phase PAHs from mid-latitude area to the Arctic.