Hydrocarbon pollution of the Azov Sea water ecosystems and its differentiation

Abstract

The object of the study is the aquatic ecosystem of the Sea of Azov, which has an important ecological and fishery significance. In terms of hydrocarbon (HC) pollution, it exceeds other marine bodies due to the large volume of the water runoff, making up about 1/8 of the volume of the sea, and a significant catchment area, 15 times larger than the sea area. The advantages and disadvantages of methods for the determination of hydrocarbons (HCs) in aquatic ecosystems are considered. The total HC pollution of different origin was estimated by the luminescence and infrared spectroscopy methods with the original compositions of HC mixtures applied. The degree of transformation of oil pollution is established. The content of biogenic HCs in water and bottom sediments has been estimated. Differentiation is carried out between oil and biogenic HCs in the aquatic ecosystem by the content of phytoplankton. Based on the obtained results and the analysis of long-term observations, a conclusion is drawn that an adequate assessment of the level of oil pollution of water and bottom sediments of the Sea of Azov could be possible only taking into account its biogenic HC background. The use of the results obtained will allow one to predict the regularities of changes in the chemical composition of the components of oil pollution, and justify methodically some features of the organization of environmental monitoring of the water ecosystem studied.