Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Louisiana Rivers and Coastal Environments: Principal Components Analysis

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) sources in Louisiana Rivers and coastal environments were characterized using principal components analysis (PCA). Distinctive clustering revealed petrogenic, pyrogenic, and biogenic/diagenetic origins of the PAHs. PCA included data from analysis of 478 samples selected from a pool of 3,540 samples for which the sum of 34 alkylated and non-alkylated PAHs and petroleum biomarker compounds, determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, exceeded 1 μ gg−1. Additionally, 21 reference PAHs profiles of known origin and multiple analyses of South Louisiana crude oil during a 3-year period were included in the PCA analysis. PCA clusters differentiated petrogenic PAHs derived from fresh to extremely weathered oil spills. Multiple sources of PAHs were discernable from petrogenic, pyrogenic, or diagenetic sources. This study demonstrated the utility of PCA tools in environmental forensics and source fingerprinting analysis to identify prime suspects of PAHs pollution in the environment.