Concentration, Spatial Distribution, and Source Apportionment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Marine Surface Sediments from Cirebon Coastal Water, West Java']Java, Indonesia

The paper reports the concentrations of PAHs in 27 stations of surface marine sediments on three areas (Bondet, Sukalila, and Kejawan) around Cirebon coastal waters, West Java, Indonesia in April 2017. The results showed that the total PAH concentrations in the sediment from three areas ranged from below detection limit (<0.002 ng/g wet weight (ww)) to 42.19 ng/g ww, with a mean of 5.53 ng/g ww, respectively. The highest concentration of PAHs was recorded in surface sediments from the sampling site around Sukalila coastal waters with an average of 7.69 ng/g ww. As for the compound distribution of PAHs, the highest molecular weight of PAHs with rings more than three were the most dominant compounds observed at three coastal areas. This indicates their sources came from mixture of biomass combustion and petroleum. Further research to obtain comprehensive results for sustainable environmental management is needed to include other factors such as physical oceanography, sediment characteristics, and sediment transport.