Distribution and adsorption-desorption of organophosphate esters from land to sea in the sediments of the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea: Impact of seagoing river input

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been a class of emerging environmental contaminants. However, studies on their environmental behavior, specifically their adsorption-desorption behavior between sediment and seawater in estuarine and coastal areas, remain limited. To address this gap, our study focused on investigating the levels and behavior of 11 OPEs in sediment samples collected from the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea, encompassing estuaries and coastal regions. The total concentrations of 11 OPEs (Σ11OPEs) in the sediments exhibit a significant decrease in summer, both in seagoing rivers (4.67 ± 2.74 ng/g dw) and the coastal zone (5.11 ± 3.71 ng/g dw), compared to winter levels in seagoing rivers (8.26 ± 4.70 ng/g dw) and the coastal zone (7.71 ± 3.83 ng/g dw). Chlorinated OPEs dominated the sediments, constituting 63 %–76 % of the total. Particularly, port and mariculture areas showed the highest levels of OPEs. Through load estimation analysis, it was revealed that the sedimentary OPEs in Qinzhou Bay (221 ± 128 kg) had the highest load, with input from the Qin River identified as a significant source. Chlorinated OPEs showed a trend of desorption from sediments to the water column with increasing salinity, emphasizing the crucial role of land-based OPEs input through suspended particulate matter in rivers as a pathway to the ocean. The impact of strong flow in estuarine environments was highlighted, as it can scour sediments, generate suspended sediments, and release OPEs into the water bodies. Additionally, the results of the ecological risk assessment indicated that most of the OPEs posed low-risk levels. However, attention is warranted for the contamination levels of some chlorinated OPEs, emphasizing the need for ongoing monitoring and assessment. [Display omitted] •Chlorinated OPEs dominate the sediments in the Beibu Gulf.•Chlorinated OPEs gradually showed a trend of desorption with increasing salinity.•High-flow rivers can promote the release of internal OPEs from estuarine sediments.•All OPEs pose low risk, but chlorinated OPEs need attention.