Introduction to Petrogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Aquatic Environment

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This chapter serves as an introduction to the book. It contains key points and background information that will be followed up and expanded in the coming chapters. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a constituent of crude oil and PAHs from petroleum are called petrogenic PAHs. This book focuses on petrogenic PAHs and research results related to them, including sources of contamination in the aquatic environment, analytical methods utilized in order to detect and quantify their presence in various matrixes, biological effects of PAHs and their metabolites, and microbial degradation with special focus on the situation in the Arctic. The tracking of sources of petrogenic contamination is of significance and it is a focus of this book. Both current knowledge and future challenges related to petrogenic PAHs are introduced and discussed.