Southern Ocean PAH Concentrations, Sources, and Risks from 2022-2024 Expeditions

Surface water measurements of 16 USEPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) collected during three Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions from 2022 to 2024. The dataset includes spatiotemporal distribution patterns, source apportionment, and probabilistic ecological risk assessments. It was authored by Tao Yang and published on figshare under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatiotemporal distribution patterns of PAHs based on concentration data from three annual expeditions.
• Conducting source apportionment of pollutants based on molecular diagnostic ratios, PCA, and PMF analyses described.
• Assessing probabilistic ecological risks to plankton and keystone species based on Monte Carlo simulation results.
• Investigating the relationship between logistical traffic emissions and pollutant levels in remote marine environments as suggested by the source analysis.

Strengths

• Provides concentration data for 16 priority PAHs across three consecutive years (2022-2024).
• Includes specific median concentration values for each expedition (1795, 1736, and 2559 pg/L).
• Applies multiple analytical methods for source apportionment and probabilistic risk assessment.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is contained within a 1.0 MB DOCX file, which may require extraction or conversion for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Data collected during the 38th, 39th, and 40th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions (CHINARE).

Collection Method

Surface water sample collection and laboratory analysis of PAHs.

Time Range

2022 to 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-21 10:24:21; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Surface waters of the Southern Ocean adjacent to Antarctica.