Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emissions and sugarcane industry impacts in the Tamasopo Wetland, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
摘要
Since 2008, the Tamasopo Wetland has been a Ramsar site, and it has been affected by hydrocarbons resulting from agricultural activities, particularly sugarcane cultivation. This study evaluated dissolved/dispersed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and sediment in three seasons (harvest, post-harvest, and high precipitation) in 2021–2023. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons detected in water in most seasons were fluorene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. The 2022 post-harvest and 2023 harvest seasons showed the highest total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in water, with an average of 110.14 and 77.06 µg L−1, respectively. The sediment contained a preponderance of high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, including pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene. The average of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in sediment were all moderated (< 100 ng g−1). The primary sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were the combustion of sugarcane and fossil fuels employed in vehicles for crop transportation and fire lighting. The concentrations of hydrocarbons detected in the monitoring of the Tamasopo wetland may constitute a long-term ecological threat to the region's native flora and fauna.