oa Assessing Lipid Biomarkers as Tracers for Identifying Organic Matter Pollution Sources in the Sediments of Southeast Ports of South Korea

This study investigates organic matter (OM) pollution in the sediments of three major South Korean ports: Ganggu Port, Masan Bay, and Gohyeon Port. The research utilizes lipid biomarkers, compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA), and statistical model (MixSIAR) to trace and quantify pollution sources.

Analysis of fatty acids and sterols revealed that Ganggu Port is primarily influenced by tributary and fishery inputs, with minimal urban or industrial impact. In contrast, Masan Bay and Gohyeon Port show more diverse contributions, including bacterial, aquatic, and anthropogenic sources. Notably, Masan Bay exhibits high coprostanol levels, indicating human sewage contamination.

The study finds that sterol concentration is the most significant parameter for distinguishing OM sources, followed by fatty acid carbon isotope values and biomarker indices. The Bayesian mixing model effectively quantifies source contributions. These findings confirm that multi-biomarker approaches are valuable for identifying OM pollution sources, offering insights for marine pollution management.