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The information on concentration levels, partitioning and sources of pollutants in aquatic environment is quite necessary for pollution treatment and quality criteria. In this work, sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) recommended by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the water and sediment of Yinma River Basin were firstly investigated. Among 16 individual PAHs, naphthalene was the highest average concentration in water samples as well as in sediment samples, 67.2 ng/L and 825.06 ng/g, respectively, whereas benzo(g,h,i)perylene was undetected in water samples nor in sediment samples. For three PAH compositional patterns, concentrations of light (2-3 ring) PAHs were dominant in water and sediment, accounting for 71.69 and 86.98 % respectively. The PAH partitioning in the sediment-water system was studied, results showed that PAH partitioning was in an unsteady state and tended to accumulate in the sediment. The possible sources of PAHs in water and sediment were both identified as a mixed source of petroleum and combustion. The benzo(a)pyrene equivalents (EBaP) values for PAHs in the water and sediment in some sites were relatively higher, suggesting the existence of environmental health risk.

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Reservoirs play an important role in living water supply and irrigation of farmlands, thus the water quality is closely related to public health. However, studies regarding human health and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the waters of reservoirs are very few. In this study, Shitou Koumen Reservoir which supplies drinking water to 8 million people was investigated. Sixteen priority PAHs were analyzed in a total of 12 water samples. In terms of the individual PAHs, the average concentration of Fla, which was 5.66 × 10−1 μg/L, was the highest, while dibenz(a,h)anthracene which was undetected in any of the water samples was the lowest. Among three PAH compositional patterns, the concentration of low-molecular-weight and 4-ring PAHs was dominant, accounting for 94%, and the concentration of the total of 16 PAHs was elevated in constructed-wetland and fish-farming areas. According to the calculated risk quotients, little or no adverse effects were posed by individual and complex PAHs in the water on the aquatic ecosystem. In addition, the results of hazard quotients for non-carcinogenic risk also showed little or no negative impacts on the health of local residents. However, it could be concluded from the carcinogenic risk results that chrysene and complex PAHs in water might pose a potential carcinogenic risk to local residents. Moreover, the possible sources of PAHs were identified as oil spills and vehicular emissions, as well as the burning of biomass and coal.

Long-term remote sensing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) datasets have been widely used in monitoring vegetation changes. In this study, the NASA Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) NDVI3g dataset was used as the data source, and the dimidiate pixel model, intensity analysis, and residual analysis were used to analyze the changes of vegetation coverage in Inner Mongolia-from 1982 to 2010-and their relationships with climate and human activities. This study also explored vegetation changes in Inner Mongolia with respect to natural factors and human activities. The results showed that the estimated vegetation coverage exhibited a high correlation (0.836) with the actual measured values. The increased vegetation coverage area (49.2% of the total area) was larger than the decreased area (43.3%) from the 1980s to the 1990s, whereas the decreased area (57.1%) was larger than the increased area (35.6%) from the 1990s to the early 21st century. This finding indicates that vegetation growth in the 1990s was better than that in the other two decades. Intensity analysis revealed that changes in the average annual rate from the 1990s to the early 21st century were relatively faster than those in the 1980s-1990s. During the 1980s-1990s, the gain of high vegetation coverage areas was active, and the loss was dormant; in contrast, the gain and loss of low vegetation coverage areas were both dormant. In the 1990s to the early 21st century, the gains of high and low vegetation coverage areas were both dormant, whereas the losses were active. During the study period, areas of low vegetation coverage were converted into ones with higher coverage, and areas of high vegetation coverage were converted into ones with lower coverage. The vegetation coverage exhibited a good correlation (R 2 = 0.60) with precipitation, and the positively correlated area was larger than the negatively correlated area. Human activities not only promote the vegetation coverage, but also have a destructive effect on vegetation, and the promotion effect during 1982 to 2000 was larger than from 2001 to 2010, while, the destructive effect was larger from 2000 to 2010.