Journal of East China Normal University(Natural Science) ›› 2024, Vol. 2024 ›› Issue (6): 99-113.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2024.06.009

• Environmental Processes and Mechanisms • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Multi-media distribution and partitioning behavior of organophosphate esters in the Yangtze River Estuary

Bao LI1(), Ruihe JIN2(), Yuxin ZHANG2, Manjing RUAN2, Yan WU2,*(), Jing YANG2, Min LIU2,*()   

  1. 1. Changjiang River Estuary Bureau of Hydrological and Water Resources Survey, Ministry of Water Resources, Shanghai 200136, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
  • Received:2024-09-27 Accepted:2024-09-29 Online:2024-11-25 Published:2024-11-29
  • Contact: Yan WU, Min LIU E-mail:libao201@163.com;jrh2016416971@163.com;ywu@geo.ecnu.edu.cn;mliu@geo.ecnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

This research investigated multi-media occurrences of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in sediments, surface and bottom water sampled from the Yangtze River Estuary, and elucidated their spatio-vertical trends and partitioning behavior across typical aquatic interfaces. Additionally, we determined the key factors affecting the estuarine fate of OPEs and the associated environmental implications. Various OPEs were ubiquitous in the study region, and the peak water-borne residues were often found adjacent to the sites with more intense anthropogenic activities. Moreover, the estuarine hydrodynamic features also increased the OPE burden in water and sediments at the outlet of the Yangtze River. The moderate-to-high ecological risks suggested by risk quotients were mainly generated by tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate and bisphenol A-bis(diphenyl) phosphate. The annual fluxes via the water flow and sediment deposition of the Yangtze River towards the East China Sea were predicted to be approximately 150 t and 290 kg, respectively, rivalling or exceeding those reported for many well-studied organic contaminants. Our results highlight the prevalence and abundance of OPEs in a representative urbanized estuary in China and the substantial ecological risks they pose to aquatic ecosystems.

Key words: contaminants of emerging concern, estuarine environment, organophosphate esters, spatio-vertical distribution, partitioning behavior

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