Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Bottom Sediments of the River – Sea Mixing Zone on the Example of the River Chernaya and the Sevastopol Bay (the Black Sea)

O. V. Soloveva1, E. A. Tikhonova1, ✉, O. A. Mironov1, T. O. Barabashin2

1 A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, Sevastopol, Russian Federation

2 Azov-Black Sea branch of "VNIRO" ("AzNIIRKH"), Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation

✉ e-mail: tihonoval@mail.ru

Abstract

Purpose. The study is aimed at determining concentrations of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and at revealing their pattern distribution in the bottom sediments of the "river – sea" contact zone on the example of the Sevastopol Bay and the river Chernaya.

Methods and Results. Granulometric composition of the bottom sediments was determined by the decantation and dispersion method. Identification and quantitative determination of PAHs were carried out by the high performance liquid chromatography method. The total PAHs content in the bottom sediments of the area under study varied from 12 to 670 ng/g of dry weight. The pollutant content was minimum in the river site beyond the geochemical barrier. In the area where the river Chernaya flows into the Sevastopol Bay, the PAHs content was 121 ng/g. The highest PAHs content was revealed in the Sevastopol Bay bottom sediments, more precisely, in 1.5 km southwest of the river Chernaya flowing into the bay. 14 PAHs were identified in the estuary zone of the river, 4 of them (naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, fluorene, anthracene) were in the trace amounts. The maximum concentration (99%) of silty material was observed in the Sevastopol Bay water area. The silt fractions were distributed as follows: 20% – aleuritic-pelite fraction, 79% – pelitic-aleurite fraction. Directly in the area of the river inflow into the bay, accumulation of the sand fraction (7%) and the maximum portion of pelitic silts were noted.

Conclusions. The recorded values of PAHs corresponded to the natural non-toxic levels. PAHs identified in the bottom sediments of the river estuary zone are of the mixed, predominantly petrogenic origin. The obtained data show that in the conditions of the "river – sea" contact zone, the PAHs accumulation in general and their individual fractions were governed mainly by presence of silt in the bottom sediments.

Keywords

marginal filter, bottom sediments, particle size distribution, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Sevastopol Bay, river Chernaya

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate deeply the staff of the Laboratory of analytical control of water ecosystems ("AzNIIRKH"): the chief specialist Anokhina N. S., the leading researcher, PhD (chemistry) Skrypnik G. V. for determining polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the studied bottom sediments within the framework of the cooperation agreement between the IBSS, RAS and "AzNIIRKH" (cooperation agreement №116 of 15.12.2017); the junior researcher of the Department of Marine Biogeochemistry, MHI RAS, Gurov K. I. for determining the bottom sediments granulometric composition. The work was carried out within the framework of state task № 121031500515-8 "Molismological and biogeochemical foundations of marine ecosystems homeostasis".

Original russian text

Original Russian Text © O. V. Soloveva, E. A. Tikhonova, O. A. Mironov, T. O. Barabashin, 2021, published in MORSKOY GIDROFIZICHESKIY ZHURNAL, Vol. 37, Iss. 3, pp. 362–372 (2021)

For citation

Soloveva, O.V., Tikhonova, E.A., Mironov, O.A. and Barabashin, T.O., 2021. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Bottom Sediments of the River – Sea Mixing Zone on the Example of the River Chernaya and the Sevastopol Bay (the Black Sea). Physical Oceanography, 28(3), pp. 338-347. doi:10.22449/1573-160X-2021-3-338-347

DOI

10.22449/1573-160X-2021-3-338-347

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