An integrated multimedia fate modeling framework for identifying mitigation strategy of antibiotic ecological risks: A case study in a peri-urban river.

Antibiotics have been heavily used over the past decades, resulting in their frequent detections in rivers and increasing ecological risks. Recognizing characteristics of antibiotic ecological risks (AERs) and making effective strategies to mitigate the AERs are essential to ensure the safety of aquatic ecosystem and public health. In this study, an integrated technological framework has been proposed toward identifying management options for reducing AERs by jointly utilizing multimedia fugacity modelling and ecotoxicological risk assessment, and applied to characterize the AERs in a peri-urban river in Beijing. Specifically, a level III fugacity model has been successfully established to simulate the fate of antibiotics in the environment, and the manageable parameters have been screened out via sensitivity analysis of the model. Then the validated fugacity model has been used for scenario modellings to optimize mitigation strategies of AERs. Results show most of the antibiotics considered are frequently detected in the river, and pose medium or high risks to aquatic organisms. Relatively, the macrolides and fluoroquinolones present higher ecotoxicological risks than sulfonamides and tetracyclines. Furthermore, the mixture risk quotient and predictive equation of concentration addition suggest joint and synergistic/antagonistic effects of AERs for multiple or binary antibiotics in the environment. Largely, the concentrations of antibiotics in the river are determined by the source emissions into water and soil. Scenario modellings show the improvement of antibiotic removal rates would be considered preferentially to mitigate the AERs. Also, controlling human consumption is conducive to reducing the risks posed by tetracyclines, macrolides and trimethoprim, while controlling animal consumption would benefit the reduction for sulfonamides. Overall, the joint strategy presents the greatest reduction of AERs by reducing antibiotic consumption and together improving sewage treatment rate and antibiotic removal rate. The study provides us a useful guideline to make ecological risk-based mitigation strategy for reducing AERs in environment.

The multi-media environmental behavior of heavy metals around tailings under the influence of precipitation.

Precipitation can lead to significant leaching of heavy metals from abandoned tailings，resulting in a decline in the quality of the surrounding environment. This study aimed to simulate and quantify the migration patterns and fate of heavy metals in tailings caused by precipitation in various environmental media (tailings, air, water, soil, and sediments) using leaching tests, source apportionment, and a fugacity model. Results revealed that the average contents of Cd, Cu, As, Pb, Zn, and Cr in the un-weathered tailings were 3.43, 495.56, 160.70, 138.94, 536.57, and 69.52 mg/kg, respectively. The ecological risk factors in the tailings as well as in sediments and soils, were in the following order: Cd >Cu >As >Pb >Zn >Cr. A fugacity model based on the mass-balance methods was established, achieving a good agreement between simulation and measured values. The total amounts of Cd, Cu, As, Pb, and Zn leached from abandoned tailings over the 30-year evaluation period were estimated to be 1.09, 62.44, 0.16, 0.94, and 102.12 t, respectively. Soil and sediments are important reservoirs for heavy metals. The sum of the As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn storage capacities in the soil and sediment accounted for 77.28%, 75.63%, 73.94%, 69.39%, and 57.80% of the total storage capacity, respectively. This study could provide the means for the establishment of a targeted pollution control plan, a guide for restoration projects, and will aid in controlling pollution risk and improving the surrounding environment.

Application of the multimedia fugacity model in predicting the environmental behaviors of PCBs: Based on field measurements and level III fugacity model simulation.

The comprehensive understanding of PCBs' fate has been impeded by the lack of simultaneous monitoring of PCBs in multiple environmental media in the background areas, which were considered long-term sinks for highly chlorinated PCBs. To address this gap, this study analyzed soils, willow tree barks, water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment samples collected from the middle reach of the Huaihe River in China for 27 PCBs. The results showed that the levels of ∑27PCBs in the soils were comparable to or lower than the background values worldwide. There were no significant correlations between organic matter and ∑27PCB concentrations in the soils and sediments. Additionally, the contamination of dioxin-like PCBs in the aquatic environment of the study area deserves more attention than in the soils. Applying the level III fugacity model to PCB 52, 77, 101, and 114 revealed that the soil was the primary reservoir, and air-soil exchange was the dominant intermedia transfer process, followed by air-water exchange. Furthermore, simulated results of air-soil and air-water diffusion were compared with those calculated from the field concentrations to predict the potential environmental behaviors of PCBs. Results indicated that the studied river would be a "secondary source" for PCB 52, 77, and 101. However, PCB 52, 77, 101, and 114 would continue to transfer from the air to the soil. This study combines multimedia field measurements and the fugacity model, providing a novel approach to predicting the potential environmental behaviors of PCBs.

Nanoplastic State and Fate in Aquatic Environments: Multiscale Modeling.

We now know that nanoplastics can harm aquatic organisms, but understanding ecological risk starts with understanding fate. We coupled population balance and fugacity models to predict the conditions under which nanoplastics remain as single particles, aggregate, or sediment and to predict their capacity to concentrate organic pollutants. We carried out simulations across a broad range of nanoplastic concentrations, particle sizes, and particle-particle interactions under a range of salinity and organic matter conditions. The model predicts that across plastic materials and environmental conditions, nanoplastics will either remain mostly dispersed or settle as aggregates with natural colloids. Nanoplastics of different size classes respond dissimilarly to concentration, ionic strength, and organic matter content, indicating that the sizes of nanoplastics to which organisms are exposed likely shift across ecological zones. We implemented a fugacity model of the Great Lakes to assess the organic pollution payload carried by nanoplastics, generating the expectation that nanoplastics would carry nine times more pollutants than microsized plastics and a threshold concentration of 10 µg/L at which they impact pollutant distribution. Our simulations across a broad range of factors inform future experimentation by highlighting the relative importance of size, concentration, material properties, and interactions in driving nanoplastic fate in aquatic environments.

Pesticide fate at watershed scale: A new framework integrating multimedia behavior with hydrological processes.

Pesticide pollution has been one serious ecological and environmental issue due to its wide application, high toxicity, and complex environmental behavior. The fugacity model has been widely used to quantify biogeochemical cycles of pesticides due to its clear compartments, simple structure, and easy-accessible data. However, the lack of detailed hydrological processes limits its application for large and heterogeneous watershed. In present study, a new framework was proposed through integration of hydrological processes of SWAT and pesticide fate of fugacity model, and was applied into a typical watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. The results showed that surface runoff, soil erosion, and percolation varied spatiotemporally, which highlighted the importance of considering regional and seasonal heterogeneity of pesticide transport variables in the fugacity model. The amount of dichlorvos (DDV) and chlorpyrifos (CHP) in air, water, soil, and sediment phase were estimated as 0.26 kg, 19.77 kg, 1.06 × 104 kg, and 0.55 kg, respectively. Spatiotemporally, pesticide concentrations in water phase peaked in summer, while the middle and southwest regions of the watershed were identified as the hotspots for pesticide pollution. Compared with the classical model, the new framework provided technical support for the pesticide assessment at watershed scale with heterogeneous hydrological conditions, which can be easily extended to other watersheds, and integrated with other models for comprehensive agricultural management.

Source, occurrence and risks of twenty antibiotics in vegetables and soils from facility agriculture through fixed-point monitoring and numerical simulation.

In this study, a universal method that combined fixed-point monitoring and numerical simulation was used to understand the source, fate and risks of antibiotics in environment. Results showed that the antibiotic concentration in vegetables, soil and manure from 53 fixed-point monitoring sampling sites were ND-18.47, ND-1438.50 and ND-24710.00 µg kg-1, respectively. There were positive correlations between the antibiotic concentrations of vegetables and soil as well as between soil and manure. The average Amountsoil/manure values were 1.48-46.02, indicating that antibiotics built up pseudo persistent residues in soil due to repeated fertilization. The modified level-III fugacity model showed that tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones tend to remain in soil given their sorption and mobility, while sulfonamides were highly distributed in plants, especially in leaves. Norfloxacin, ofloxacin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole and sulfisoxazole were found to be risk factors in facility agriculture and should be continuously monitored during agricultural production. Most importantly, we used the inversion method to determine the recommended maximum residue limits of antibiotics in soil. This will not only allow for better control of the amount of the antibiotics in the environment, but also act as a potential method to assess the risks of pollutants without maximum residue limits in the environment.

Using a fugacity model to determine the degradation rate of typical polycyclic musks in the field: A case study in the North Canal River watershed of Beijing, China.

To quantitate the degradation rate of 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-[g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (AHTN) under field conditions, a level III fugacity model combined with a least-squares method was used to determine the degradation rate of HHCB and AHTN in the North Canal River watershed of Beijing, China. Model fitting, validation, sensitivity, and uncertainty analyses revealed that the established model was stable and robust. The degradation rates of HHCB and AHTN were 4.16 × 10-3 h-1 (t1/2 = 167 h) and 1.68 × 10-2 h-1 (t1/2 = 41.3 h), respectively. The calculated degradation rates were extrapolated to the Liangshui River, and indicated that the differences between the measured and predicted concentrations were less than 0.32 and 0.34 log units for HHCB and AHTN, respectively. The attenuation rates of HHCB and AHTN were calculated, and the results indicated that degradation was an important yet not the sole contributor to the degradation of the polycyclic musks. Results of uncertainty analyses indicated that the inflow and outflow concentrations of the polycyclic musks in the surface water of each segment strongly influenced the model outputs, followed by environmental factors (water depth and flow rate). It is essential to measure the degradation rate in the field because of the influence of the surrounding environment. The present study reveals the utility of fugacity models to quantify the degradation rate of organic micropollutants in the field.

Developing and applying a site-specific multimedia fate model to address ecological risk of oxytetracycline discharged with aquaculture effluent in coastal waters off Jangheung, Korea.

The overuse of oxytetracycline (OTC) in aquaculture has become a problem because of its chronic toxic effects on marine ecosystems. The present study assessed the ecological risk of OTC in the coastal waters near the Jangheung Flatfish Farm using a site-specific multimedia fate model to analyze exposure. Before the model was applied, its performance was validated by comparing it with field data. The coastal waters in the testbed were sampled and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The concentrations of OTC measured varied from 7.05 to 95.39ng/L. The results of validating the models showed that the site-specific multimedia fate model performed better (root mean square error (RMSE): 24.217, index of agreement (IOA): 0.739) than conventional fugacity approaches. This result demonstrated the utility of this model in supporting effective future management of aquaculture effluent. The results of probabilistic risk assessment indicated that OTC from aquaculture effluent did not cause adverse effects, even in a maximum-use scenario.

Nontarget screening using passive air and water sampling with a level II fugacity model to identify unregulated environmental contaminants.

It is thought that there are many unregulated anthropogenic chemicals in the environment. For risk assessment of chemicals, it is essential to estimate the predicted environmental concentrations. As an effort of identifying residual organic contaminants in air and water in Korea, nontarget screening using two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) was conducted at 10 sites using polyurethane foam passive air sampler and at 6 sites using polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) passive water sampler in three different seasons in 2014. More than 600 chemical peaks were identified satisfying the identification criteria in air and water samples, respectively, providing a list for further investigation. Chemical substances with reported national emission rates in 2014 (n=149) were also screened for potential existence in the environment using a level II fugacity model. Most of chemical substances classified as not detectable were not identified with detection frequency greater than 20% by nontarget screening, indicating that a simple equilibrium model has a strong potential to be used to exclude chemicals that are not likely to remain in the environment after emissions from targeted monitoring.

Comprehensive evaluation of antibiotics pollution the Yangtze River basin, China: Emission, multimedia fate and risk assessment.

Antibiotics have attracted global attention because of their potential ecological and health risks. The emission, multimedia fate and risk of 18 selected antibiotics in the entire Yangtze River basin were evaluated by using a level Ⅳ fugacity model. High antibiotic emissions were found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. The total antibiotic emissions in the Yangtze River basin exceeded 1600 tons per year between 2013 and 2021. The spatial distribution of antibiotics concentration was the upper Yangtze River > middle Yangtze River > lower Yangtze River, which is positively correlated with animal husbandry size in the basin. Temperature and precipitation increases may decrease the antibiotic concentrations in the environment. Transfer fluxes showed that source emission inputs, advection processes, and degradation fluxes contributed more to the total input and output. High ecological risks in the water environment were found in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The comprehensive health risk assessment through drinking water and fish consumption routes showed that a small part of the Yangtze River basin is at medium risk, and children have a relatively high degree of health risk. This study provides a scientific basis for the pollution control of antibiotics at the basin scale.

Dynamic multimedia approach for source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

This study was performed to evaluate the variable indicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) source apportionment by using an unsteady-state multimedia model. The identical indicators have been used in different environmental bulks for more than 20 years, which resulted in huge errors in source apportionment. Generated through four emission arrays, the diagnostic ratios for indicators revealed dimensionless OR, in air/soil and seawater/sediment reached ∼3.63 and ∼0.24 for Fla/Pyr, and for Ant/Phe the ratio was ∼0.31 and ∼0.18, and coastal OR for air/seawater was higher than the offshore, suggesting both compartmental and spatial divergences. The PCA indicated similar loading distribution and primary factors, shared by emission, atmosphere, and seawater arrays, whereas the slow transport between air/water and soil/sediment, weak degradation, and original concentration level might result in factors in soil and sediment separated or merged in dynamic conditions. The physicochemical divergence of indicators could be intensified after long-term environmental transport, misleading the source apportionment. Therefore, the result elucidated the essential evaluation of additional inorganic indicators and necessary verification by simultaneous sampling measurement on vertical compartments.

Release of PAHs from sediments to seawater under wave: Indoor microcosms and level IV fugacity models.

Estuaries and coasts are located at the land-sea interface, where sediment liquefaction due to strong wave action results in significant material exchange at the sediment-seawater system. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as organic pollutants, are distributed across various media. Herein, the impact of wave was studied on the release of PAHs through indoor microcosmic experiments combined with a level IV fugacity model. Comparison revealed that the release amount and rate of PAHs during static consolidation stage were minimal, whereas wave action substantially enhanced the release. Particularly the sediments in a liquefied state, the PAHs release in Stage III was 1.55-1.86 times that in Stage II, reaching 84.73 µg/L. The loss of soil strength and strong hydrodynamic effects resulted in a substantial release of PAHs into seawater along with suspended solids. Due to volatility of 2-ring PAHs and difficult desorption of 6-ring PAHs, 3-5-ring PAHs are the main contributors to releases into seawater. The model results also indicated that the three PAHs had different fates in the sediment-seawater system, with sediment serving as an important "reservoir" for benzo[a]pyrene entering seawater, while functioning as both a "sink" and a "source" for pyrene.

Multimedia fate simulation of mercury in a coastal urban area based on the fugacity/aquivalence method.

Due to intensive industrial production and living activities, urban areas are the main anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emission sources. After entering the environment through exhaust gases, wastewater or waste residues, Hg can migrate and transform among different environmental compartments in various species, such as elemental mercury (Hg0), divalent mercury (Hg2+) and methylmercury (MeHg). Studies have yet to report on the multimedia behaviors of Hg in urban areas due to the complexity of the processes involved. In this study, the atmospheric Hg emission in Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China, was estimated by an anthropogenic emission inventory, and a Level III multimedia model was constructed based on the fugacity/aquivalence method to simulate the fate of Hg in air, water, soil, sediment, vegetation and film. The total annual atmospheric emission was 9.91 t, of which coal combustion and non-coal sources accounted for 70.1 % and 29.9 %, respectively. Atmospheric emission and advection were dominated by Hg0, and aquatic emission and advection were dominated by Hg2+. The migration of air-vegetation, vegetation-soil and soil-air were three important pathways of Hg in urban areas. The model was validated by collecting local soil and vegetation samples and regional air, seawater and sediment monitoring data. The scenario simulation indicated that the local load would decrease to different extents with a 21.0 % reduction in atmospheric Hg emission by implementing the "coal-to-gas" measures. Our developed model can characterize the fate of Hg in coastal urban areas and provide a reference for control strategies.

Dynamic modeling of the occurrence, sources, and environmental behavior of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Zhelin Bay, China.

This study analyzed polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Zhelin Bay, China, investigating their occurrence, sources, and environmental behavior. PBDE congeners were detected in all sampled media. The Σ13PBDE concentrations in the dissolved phase ranged from 1.04 to 41.40 ng/L, while the concentrations ranged in suspended particulate matter from 0.02 to 12.56 ng/L. In sediments, PBDE concentrations ranged from 1.41 to 8.57 ng/g. The higher proportion of PBDEs in the dissolved phase in the bay than in the estuary is attributable to the type of PBDE products used in the aquacultural process in Zhelin Bay. Moreover, correlation analysis between PBDE concentrations and environmental parameters showed that the primary factor influencing PBDE concentrations in Zhelin Bay sediments may shift from riverine inputs to aquaculture. Principal component analysis and positive matrix factorization revealed that PBDEs in the water of Zhelin Bay primarily originated from the degradation of octa-BDE, deca-BDE, and penta-BDE products employed in aquaculture. In contrast, the PBDEs in Zhelin Bay sediments mainly originated from riverine inputs. In addition, a level IV dynamic fugacity-based multimedia model was used to simulate the temporal variation of PBDE concentrations in Zhelin Bay. Modeled short-term trends showed a relatively swift transport of PBDE congeners in the water column to the atmosphere and sediments. Over the long term, sediment concentrations gradually decreased, in contrast to the less rapid declines observed in the atmosphere and water. Furthermore, this study revealed that the transport and transformation processes of PBDEs in the Zhelin Bay environment were considerably influenced by the diffusion coefficient in water, the water-side mass transfer coefficient at the water-sediment interface, the sediment resuspension rate, and the organic carbon-water partition coefficient.

Distinct biomagnification of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in adjacent aquatic and terrestrial food webs.

Biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in food webs has been studied for many years. However, the different processes and influencing factors in biomagnification of POPs in aquatic and terrestrial food webs still need clarification. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were measured in organisms from adjacent terrestrial and aquatic environment in this study. The median levels of PCBs in terrestrial and aquatic organisms were 21.7-138 ng/g lw and 37.1-149 ng/g lw, respectively. SCCP concentrations were 18.6-87.3 µg/g lw and 21.4-93.9 µg/g lw in terrestrial and aquatic organisms, respectively. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) of PCBs increased with higher log KOW in all food chains. BMFs of SCCPs were negatively correlated with log KOW in aquatic food chains, but positively correlated with log KOW in terrestrial food chains. The terrestrial food web had similar trophic magnification factors (TMFs) of PCBs, and higher TMFs of SCCPs than the aquatic food web. Biomagnification of PCBs was consistent in aquatic and terrestrial food webs, while SCCPs had higher biomagnification potential in terrestrial than aquatic organisms. The distinct biomagnification of SCCPs was affected by the respiratory elimination for terrestrial organisms, the different metabolism rates in various species, and more homotherms in terrestrial food webs. Fugacity model can well predict levels of less hydrophobic chemicals, and warrants more precise toxicokinetic data of SCCPs.

A study combining a sediment-seawater microcosm with multimedia fugacity model to evaluate the effect of tidal cycles on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon release from sediments.

Estuarine sediments are key storage sites for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and estuaries are strongly influenced by tides throughout the year. Although much work has been done concerning on POPs release, related questions on tidal action have not been considered in the release process. Herein, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) release from sediment to seawater was investigated under tidal action by combining a tidal microcosm with level IV fugacity model. The results showed that PAHs release with tidal action was 2.0-3.5 times the accumulation of that without tidal action. Tidal action was confirmed to influence strongly PAHs release from sediment to seawater. We also quantified suspended substance (SS) in the overlying water, and an obvious positive correlation between the PAHs concentration and SS content was found. In addition, an increase in seawater depth enhanced the intensity of tidal action, and more PAHs were released, especially dissolved PAHs. Moreover, the fugacity model results showed a good fit with the experimental results. The simulated values demonstrated that the PAHs release was accomplished via two processes, "rapid release" and "slow release". And the sediment played a key role in the fate of PAHs and was a major sink in the sediment-seawater system.

Comprehensive analysis of the fates and risks of veterinary antibiotics in a small ecosystem comprising a pig farm and its surroundings in Northeast China.

This study investigated the behavior of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) in a small farm ecosystem. Manure and environmental samples were collected around a large pig farm in northeast China. Thirty-four VAs in six categories were analyzed. Then, a multimedia fugacity model was used to estimate the fates of VAs in the environment. The results showed that VAs were prevalent in manure, soil, water, and sediment, but not in crops. Compared with fresh manure, VA levels were significantly lower in surface manure piles left in the open air for 3-6 months. The main VAs, tetracyclines and quinolones, decreased by 427.12 and 158.45 µg/kg, respectively. VAs from manure piles were transported to the surroundings and migrated vertically into deep soil. The concentrations of ∑VAs detected in agricultural soils were 0.03-4.60 µg/kg; > 94% of the mass inventory of the VAs was retained in soil organic matter (SOM), suggesting that SOM is the main reservoir for antibiotics in soil. Risk assessment and model analysis indicated that the negative impact of mixed antibiotics at low concentrations in farmland on crops may be mediated by indirect effects, rather than direct effects. Our findings highlight the environmental fates and risks of antibiotics from livestock farms.

Analysis of the multi-media environmental behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within Haizhou Bay using a fugacity model.

In this study, we aimed to quantify the transport and fate of PAHs in different environmental phases (air, seawater, soil, sediment and fish), verify application of the Level III fugacity model in a bay simulation, and understand the transport and fate of PAHs in the bay environment on a macroscopic scale. The simulated average concentrations of ∑16PAH in the air and soil (23.8 ng/m3 and 1080.91 ng/g, respectively), which is as a background reference data for the Haizhou Bay. In addition, the soil (307 t), fish (29.4 t), and sediment (9.72 t) phases were found to be important reservoirs in the Haizhou Bay. Emissions from road vehicles (658 t) accounted for the largest share of PAH emissions in the area, and atmospheric deposition contributed most to the input of PAHs to the polluted area in the region. Whereas the contribution of river runoff input was small, and degradation loss was the main output pathway.

Fugacity model incorporating computational fluid dynamics for analyzing the behavior of an insecticide sprayed indoors.

Fugacity models are used widely to predict the time-dependent behaviors of chemicals in environments containing several media (e.g., air, sediment, soil, and water). However, these fugacity models work on the assumption that the concentration of a chemical in each medium is uniform, so they cannot describe the spatial distribution of the chemical. We developed a new fugacity model, termed InPestCFD, incorporating computational fluid dynamics to describe both the time-dependent distribution and the spatial distribution of a chemical in a medium. InPestCFD was used to calculate the behavior of an insecticide released from an aerosol canister in a room. Indoor airflow and aerosol particle behavior were calculated via computational fluid dynamics and using a Lagrangian dispersion model. Transport of the insecticide among media (aerosol particles, air, ceiling, floor, and walls) was calculated using the fugacity model. The time-dependent distributions and spatial distributions of the insecticide in the media agreed well with real measurements.

A method for simulating spatial fates of chemicals in flowing lake systems: Application to phthalates in a lake.

In order to describe spatio-temporal distribution of chemicals in flowing lake systems, a dynamic multimedia fate model of chemicals with spatial differentiation was constructed by coupling the level IV fugacity model with lake hydrodynamics. It was successfully applied to four phthalates (PAEs) in a lake recharged by reclaimed water and its accuracy was verified. Results show that under the long-term influence of flow field, the distributions of PAEs in both lake water and sediment have significant spatial heterogeneity of 2∼5 orders of magnitude, but present different distribution rules, which was explained by analysis of PAE transfer fluxes. The spatial distribution of PAEs in the water column depends on hydrodynamic conditions and whether the primary source is reclaimed water or atmospheric input. Slow water exchange and flow speed promote the migration of PAEs from water to sediment, causing them to always accumulate in sediments far away from the recharging inlet. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis show that the PAE concentrations in water phase are mainly affected by emission and physicochemical parameters, while those in sediment phase are also sensitive to environmental parameters. The model can provide important information and accurate data support for the scientific management of chemicals in flowing lake systems.