Oil Pollution of the Coastal Zone of the Black Sea in an Area of Intensive Navigation (Novorossiysk Bay, Kerch Strait) and the Dynamics of Natural Attenuation Process

Abstract

The chapter considers the results of 12 years (2007–2019) of field observations examining spatial distribution and temporal changes in the quantity and composition of oil pollution traces on the beaches, cliffs, coastal waters, and sediment cores in the Black Sea coastal zone near the city of Novorossiysk and in the Kerch Strait, Russia. Novorossiysk is the most important oil seaport of Russia. The Kerch Strait is a significant transitory route for petroleum export and is an area where a huge fuel oil spill happened in November 2007. 165 samples of seawater, 246 samples of oil slicks, and 24 sediment cores up to 50 cm thick were taken and analyzed with the use of thin layer and column chromatography, together with optical and gravimetric methods. Evidence of high levels and the chronic character of oil pollution in the studied sector of the coastal zone are presented. Much attention is given to the analysis of distribution and dynamics of natural destruction of oil slicks found on the shore. Over time, the findings of this chapter demonstrate an exponential diminution of the ratio between the relatively labile and conservative components of those oil slicks. The rates of natural attenuation processes vary depending on the environmental factors (mainly thermohaline and hydrodynamic), as well as on the pollutant position in the coastal zone and its dispersity determining the contact area with seawater, fresh air, and substrate.