Assessment of brazilian mangroves hydrocarbon contamination from a latitudinal perspective

The present study investigated the contamination of Brazilian mangroves sediments by aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Samples were obtained from mangroves located along the brazilian coast, between the northern coast and the austral limit of the occurrence of this ecosystem. Total AH ranged from 1.9 to 311.3 mu g g(-1) and compound distribution pointed to biogenic sources, mainly from mangrove forests, and petrogenic sources, with a significant presence of an unresolved complex mixture in some areas. PAH values (34.4-977.3 ng g(-1)) indicated low to moderate contamination levels in mangrove sediments, reflecting the socioeconomic diversity observed along the Brazilian coast. The predominant PAH sources ranged from pyrolytic to petrogenic. According to sediment quality reference values, the evaluated sediments are not likely to cause biological effects, but deserve attention due to the current expansion scenario of oil prospecting activities off the Brazilian coast.