PAH distributions in sediments from high mountain lakes

The PAH distributions in sediment cores from eight remote lakes distributed over Europe have been investigated. All sites show a similar qualitative composition, being dominated by parent compounds from phenanthrene to coronene. Perylene, a diagenetically produced PAH, dominates the mixtures in deep sediment layers. The distribution and ratios of specific compounds indicate that these hydrocarbons are of pyrolitic origin, mainly from coal combustion processes, but contributions from other sources are also present (i.e., retene is probably indicative of wood combustion inputs). The qualitative differences due to inputs, sources or physico-chemical conditions are discussed.