Comparative study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) in corals, sediments and seawater from coral reefs of Hainan, China.

Abstract This work investigated levels of PAHs and HMs in fourteen species from seven genera of scleractinian corals, adjacent sediments, and surface seawater in Hainan, China. The sources of contaminations were analyzed as well. The results showed that scleractinian corals had a relatively higher bioaccumulation capacity for PAHs from sediments than for HMs. There were inter-species differences for these contaminants enriched in corals. Pavona varians and Porites lutea could accumulate PAHs more readily. While higher concentrations of Cr, Mn and Pb occurred in Favites flexuosa, other metal levels, such as for Ni, Cu, Zn and As, were found to be elevated in Pocillopora damicornis, as well as for Cd in Acropora echinata. It was found that PAHs originated from petrogenic and pyrolytic sources, and were mainly linked to onshore and on-sea activities, such as motorboats. Mn, Ni, As and Cd were from crustal materials or natural weathering, while Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb were non-crustal origin connecting with the use of anti-fouling boat paint and agricultural and/or aquacultural chemicals. This study suggested that corals could serve as good bioindicators for two types of chemical pollution in the reef system, especially for the two species P. varians and P. lutea for PAHs contaminants.