The existing conditions of PAHs in multimedium in typical karst area: A case in the Leye Tiankeng Group, Guangxi

Based on the data of dry and wet atmospheric deposition, air, soil, groundwater and sediment samples gathered during the same term from 2007 to 2008 in a typical karst area-the Dashiwei Tiankeng, contrastive analysis is done in light of the component spectrums, the distribution features and the characteristic ratio as well as their chemical and physical properties of 16 kinds of PAHs. The results show that 4 kinds of PAHs with 4 similar to 6 rings (chrysenes, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene) are dominated in the annual dry and wet atmospheric deposition, soil and sediment of the underground river. And 4 kinds of PAHs with 2 similar to 3 rings (naphthalenes, fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene) are dominated in dry and wet atmospheric deposition in autumn and winter, air and underground river water. The existing conditions of PAHs are of better consistency but also certain differences in each medium. By means of this method it is preliminary explained the sources or input of PAHs contaminant in soil, water and underground river sediment in karst area, and proved that the dry and wet atmospheric deposition is the main pollution source in soil and the underground river in remote karst mountain area. Therefore, it is suggested that the atmospheric dry and wet deposition should be taken as a PAHs source in the investigation of pollution sources.