Oil pollution and geochemical hydrocarbon origin markers in sediments of the Curonian Lagoon and the Nemunas River Delta

Abstract

The continuous research on anthropogenized coastal zones determined qualitative and quantitative characteristics of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the Curonian Lagoon and the Nemunas River Delta. The concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons varied from 9.1 to 187.6 μg g−1 d.w. The Curonian Lagoon could be classified as a slightly contaminated water basin with some moderately polluted areas, while both rivers and Lake Krokų Lanka were found to be slightly contaminated with aliphatic hydrocarbons. The prevailing unresolved complex mixture and geochemical markers suggested the existence of mixed biogenic-anthropogenic aliphatic hydrocarbon sources in the area studied. The biogenic impact was found to be more pronounced in Lake Krokų Lanka, the south-eastern part of the Curonian Lagoon and in the River Minija, while the Nemunas River Avandelta demonstrated the highest loading of anthropogenic hydrocarbons. The same trends were confirmed by the principal component analysis.