River and coastal sediments were collected at 17 stations in Ulsan, the largest industrial city in South Korea, to evaluate the levels, profiles, emission sources, and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The mean concentration of Σ₁₆ PAHs was 722 ng/g, and fluoranthene was a predominant compound. PAHs with 4–6 rings showed higher proportions than PAHs with 2–3 rings. The stations located near industrial complexes showed elevated levels of indicator compounds for petroleum, coal, coke, and fuel combustion. Therefore, petrochemical industries, coal pier, non-ferrous industries, and vehicles were identified as the emission sources. As industrialization and urbanization progressed, an increase in PAH levels and profile changes were observed as a result of the increasing industrial fuel consumption and the increasing number of vehicles. This is the first study that confirmed the change of PAHs in sediment caused by the change of emission sources over time in Ulsan.

在韩国最大的工业城市蔚山的17个站点收集了河流和沿海沉积物，以评估多环芳烃（PAHs）的水平，剖面，排放源和空间分布。Σ的平均浓度₁₆PAHs为722 ng / g，而荧蒽是主要的化合物。具有4–6个环的PAHs的比例要高于具有2–3个环的PAHs。位于工业园区附近的加油站显示出石油，煤炭，焦炭和燃料燃烧的指示剂含量升高。因此，石化行业，煤炭码头，有色金属行业和车辆被确定为排放源。随着工业化和城市化的发展，由于工业燃料消耗的增加和车辆数量的增加，PAH含量和分布特征也有所增加。这是第一个证实蔚山地区由于排放源随时间变化而导致沉积物中多环芳烃变化的研究。