Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in the Bottom Sediments of the Caspian Sea

Abstract

In this study, variations in the levels of oil hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are persistent organic pollutants generated by human activities, were assessed in the bottom sediments of the Caspian Sea (Russia) sampled from 2012 to 2021. The samples were analyzed for their chemical composition. The concentrations of the identified compounds responsible for hydrocarbon pollution were established. The quantitative results of the industrial environmental monitoring in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea for subsoil use were also reviewed and processed by standard statistical methods. It was revealed that ΣPAH concentrations in the Northern and Middle Caspian Sea regions vary from analytical zero to 186.7 μg/kg and from zero to 467.8 μg/kg, respectively. The scale of oil pollution in these two regions was found to be determined by the following PAHs: phenanthrene, acenaphthene, and naphthalene. The origin of the listed PAHs provides vital information on the main sources of pollution of the Caspian Sea bottom sediments with hazardous organic substances. Based on the obtained data, the areas with background PAH pollution of the bottom sediments and those with the characteristic PAH of mainly natural and pyrogenic origin were located.