Distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Cilician Basin shelf sediments (NE Mediterranean)

► PAHs were measured in sediment from the Northern Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean. ► PAHs consisted mainly of pyrolytic four and five-ring compounds. ► PAH concentrations ranked in shelf sediments as low to moderate pollution. ► Cilician Basin coastal sediments should have no potential biological impact. This study corresponds to preliminary work representing an initial assessment for spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Cilician Basin coastal sediments. The concentrations of PAHs in shelf sediments were determined from the three different regions of Cilician Basin (Eastern Mediterranean) in 2011. Concentrations of PAHs were low 5.43–271ngg−1 with respect to other coastal sediments in the Mediterranean and these results could be compared with concentrations found in open sea areas. PAH composed mainly of pyrolytic four and five-ring compounds. An abundance of high molecular weight PAHs indicated that atmospheric particles and urban aerosols are the major input route of hydrocarbons in the Cilician and Lattakia Basins. PAH levels were assessed in accordance with numerical Sediment Quality Guideline (SQG) of the USEPA. The results showed that no samples exceeded biological thresholds to pose biological impairments.