Sedimentary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: The Historical Record

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in three sections of a dated sediment core from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, have been analyzed by gas chromatographic spectrometry. This historical information suggests that sedimentary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, at least at this location, result primarily from the anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuels.