In the Arctic Ocean, it is still unclear what role oceanic transport plays in the fate of semivolatile organic compounds. The strong-stratified Arctic Ocean undergoes complex inputs and outputs of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the neighboring oceans and continents. To better understand PAHs’ transport processes and their contribution to high-latitude oceans, surface seawater, and water column, samples were collected from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean in 2012. The spatial distribution of dissolved PAHs (∑₉PAH) in surface seawater showed an “Arctic Shelf > Atlantic Ocean > Arctic Basin” pattern, with a range of 0.3–10.2 ng L⁻¹. Positive matrix factorization modeling results suggested that vehicle emissions and biomass combustion were the major PAHs sources in the surface seawater. According to principal component analysis, PAHs in different water masses showed unique profiles indicating their different origins. Carried by the Norwegian Atlantic Current (0–800 m) and East Greenland Current (0–300 m), PAH individuals’ net transport mass fluxes ranged from −4.4 ± 1.7 to 53 ± 39 tons year⁻¹ to the Arctic Ocean. We suggested the limited contribution of ocean currents on PAHs’ delivery to the Arctic Ocean, but their role in modulating PAHs’ air–sea interactions and other biogeochemical processes needs further studies.

中文翻译：

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北大西洋和北冰洋的多环芳烃：空间分布和水质量输送

在北冰洋，海洋运输在半挥发性有机化合物的命运中所起的作用仍不清楚。强烈分层的北冰洋经历了来自邻近海洋和大陆的多环芳烃（PAHs）的复杂输入和输出。为更好地了解 PAHs 的迁移过程及其对高纬度海洋、地表海水和水柱的贡献，于 2012 年从北大西洋和北冰洋采集_样本。表层海水呈现“北极大陆架>大西洋>北极盆地”的格局，范围为0.3~10.2 ng L ^-1. 正矩阵分解建模结果表明，车辆排放和生物质燃烧是地表海水中 PAHs 的主要来源。根据主成分分析，不同水团中的 PAHs 表现出独特的剖面，表明它们的不同来源。由挪威大西洋洋流（0-800 m）和东格陵兰洋流（0-300 m）携带，PAH个体的净运输质量通量范围为-4.4±1.7至53±39吨年^-1至北冰洋。我们认为洋流对 PAHs 输送到北冰洋的贡献有限，但它们在调节 PAHs 的海气相互作用和其他生物地球化学过程中的作用需要进一步研究。