Fluoranthene and pyrene in the suspended particulate matter and surface sediments of the Humber Estuary, UK

As part of the UK-based Land-Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) community programme, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments have been collected from the Humber estuary, which is a large and complex estuarine system on the east coast of England fed by several rivers including the Trent and Ouse. The samples from four surveys were extracted and analysed to determine the levels of anthropogenic organic contaminants such as fluoranthene and pyrene. Their concentrations in SPM and surface sediments ranged from 44 to 1560 ng g−1 dry weight and 13–1969 ng g−1 dry weight, respectively, and displayed no strong seasonal variation. Mean fluoranthene and pyrene concentrations were higher in the Trent than in the Ouse for both SPM and sediment samples, and were elevated at a sewage outfall, suggesting a multiplicity of inputs for these two compounds. Fluoranthene and pyrene on SPM showed no correlation with salinity, although correlations with suspended solids concentrations (SSC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) have been confirmed.