Content and Composition of Hydrocarbons in Water and Sediments in Coastal Regions of the Russian Sector of the Black Sea

Abstract

The current level and origin of hydrocarbons (HCs) was determined: aliphatic – AHCs and polycyclic aromatic – PAHs (September 2021, May and September 2022) in suspended particulate of surface waters (for AHCs – 20 µg/l; PAHs – 130 ng/l, fluorescent method) and in the bottom sediments of the coastal areas of the Caucasian sector of the Black Sea of the Russian Federation. Despite the decrease in HC concentrations in surface waters in recent years, the most polluted areas include, as before, the Kerch Strait. HC accumulate in bottom sediments, which leads to an increase in their content in the composition of Corg (up to 14.2% in the Tuapse region and 13.1% in the Novorossiysk region). It has been established that, along with pollution, HC levels are greatly influenced by natural processes (the productivity of the area, fluid flows from the sedimentary mass).