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Socioeconomic Transition in the Pearl River Delta, Southern China since the 20th Century：Evidence from High-Resolution Sedimentary Records of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Organochlorine Pesticides
Xiaohong Chang, Huanhuan Zhang, Ziyue Feng, Chenchen Yang, Jianmei Hou, Huayang Gan and Rongsheng Wan

To investigate the impacts of human activities on the environment, this study examined the high-resolution temporal and compositional variations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in a sedimentary core collected from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in South China. The temporal trends of the target compounds demonstrated the significant influence of human activities in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Marked increases and decreases in the levels of target compounds within the sedimentary core corresponded to the four stages of economic development during the Reform and Opening-up of China period, namely: (i) low PAH and OCP concentrations prior to 1980; (ii) a marked increase in PAHs coinciding with early industrialization (1980s–1990s), while OCPs declined following regulatory bans; (iii) concurrent peaks for both target compounds during accelerated industrialization and urbanization (1990s–2010s), suggesting potential remobilization of legacy OCPs; and (iv) a recent declining trend indicative of a “green transition”. Statistical analyses further reveal that PAH variations correlate strongly with energy consumption and gross domestic product (GDP), whereas OCPs dynamics primarily reflect agricultural policy impacts.

Keywords: The Pearl River Estuary, high-resolution sedimentary record, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), Reform and Opening-up of China, socioeconomic transition of Guangdong