Historical trend of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a sediment core from Osaka Bay during the Meghalayan
Bibliographic Data
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced by incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuel, yet PAHs have been rarely analyzed in coastal sediment cores as a tracer for human activities before industrialization. The aim of this study was to assess if the historical trend of PAHs can be related to past human activities. To this end, we have determined the concentrations of PAHs in a 9 m-long sediment core from Osaka Bay, which records history of the last 2400 years. The concentration of PAHs before the beginning of the 17th century CE, the beginning of the peaceful Edo period, was consistently low ( −1 ) and mainly comprised of smoke-derived PAHs reflecting the natural background. A relative higher abundance of 4−6 ring PAHs from the early 17th century CE and a higher PAH concentration from the early 18th century CE until approximately 1800 CE agreed with a population increase, Cu smelting activities and increasing combustion of charcoal. The constant PAH concentration until the late 19th century CE overlapped with a decline in the population in the Osaka area. An increasing PAH concentration from the late 19th century CE marked the beginning of industrialization in the Modern age. The peak in PAH concentration in 1945 CE was likely caused by burning of wooden structures due to air raids on Osaka City. A second peak around 1980 CE indicated the introduction of cleaner energies. We conclude that PAHs in coastal sediment cores can be used to reconstruct past human activities
Archaeology · Bay · Geochemistry · Geography · Holocene · Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon · Sediment · Sediment core · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact · Environmental Chemistry · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology
Depletion, Degradation, and Recovery Potential of Estuaries and Coastal Seas
Climatic change and its influence on human society in western Japan during the Holocene
Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity
Marine20—The Marine Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55,000 cal BP)
Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates
| Highly cited | No |
|---|