Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Marine Pollution Bulletin, cilt.224, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were assessed in surface water and sediments of the Nilüfer Stream, Bursa, Türkiye, to characterize their distribution, sources, water–sediment interactions, and associated ecological and human health risks. Samples collected from seven sites (S1–S7) revealed that the dissolved- and particulate-phase PAH concentrations in the waters ranged from 2.3 to 1118.5 μg/L and 0.3 to 422.0 μg/L, respectively, while sediments contained 32.2–836.6 ng/g dry weight. Upstream sites (S1–S2) exhibited minimal contamination, whereas downstream locations (S3–S7) reflected increasing PAH loads influenced by mixed urban, industrial, and agricultural pressures. Ring-distribution profiles showed LMW dominance in the dissolved phase and stronger MMW–HMW enrichment in particulate phase and sediments, while diagnostic ratios indicated predominantly pyrogenic inputs, particularly traffic emissions and biomass/coal combustion. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) further supported these findings, with PC1 capturing the majority of variance across dissolved- and particulate phases, and sediment as a unified pyrogenic factor, and PC2 distinguishing high-temperature industrial combustion from medium-temperature domestic heating, especially in downstream segments. Ecological risk indices (M-ERM-Q, M-PEL-Q, TEQCARC, MEQ) indicated low-to-moderate potential adverse effects, mainly in sediments. Water–sediment partitioning suggested that sediments act as long-term sinks modulated by organic carbon and hydrodynamics. Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) values indicated negligible risk at S1–S2 but moderate cancer risk at S3–S7 for adults and children through ingestion and inhalation. Overall, the study provides a comprehensive spatial–temporal evaluation of PAH behavior in a mixed land-use watershed and integrates source-diagnostic and risk-based evidence to support targeted mitigation strategies in urban–industrial river systems.