Research progress of PAHs in marine environment: source, distribution and biogeochemical process

As class of continuously generated semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can enter the marine environment through long-range atmospheric transport, air-sea exchange, riverine runoff and oil leakage. While they can be further transported to the remote, polar and deep ocean. PAHs have been observed in a variety of environmental compartments, such as atmosphere, seawater, sediment as well as marine organisms. They are involved in numerous processes, including physical transport, multi-media partitioning and biogeochemical cycles, which result in environmental risks to the marine ecosystem. In this paper, the occurrence, sources, geophysical and biogeochemical processes of PAHs in marine environment are reviewed.