Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in sediments from the Gulf and Omani waters: Status and review

Abstract

This review presents the spatio-temporal distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons including total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), total organic carbon (TOC), total aliphatics, unresolved complex mixture (UCM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments of the Gulf (Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman). The TPH ranged between 0.134 and 48,018 μg g−1 dw where 10–15 μg g−1 dw was considered as a background concentration. The TOC levels were between 0.04 and 14.96% with a mean concentration of 1.154 ± 0.523%. Total aliphatic hydrocarbon levels were reported between 0.1 and 76 μg g−1, the 2005 levels that had the largest spatial coverage were between 0.1 and 4.4 μg g−1. The unresolved complex mixture was very variable post Gulf War but by 2005 most of the Gulf War artifacts had decreased and the levels were between 1.5 and 73.5 μg g−1. The ƩPAHs in bottom sediments by 2005 were between 0.3 and 3450 ng g−1. The total aromatics were limited in spatial extent and varied between 1.0 and 14,000 μg g−1. Most of the locations with elevated contamination levels were near point sources, e.g. oil facilities and ports, and these sites could be categorized as chronically contaminated by oil. This review highlights the paucity of the data both in terms of the spatial extent and temporal coverage, and with several Gulf states undergoing large-scale coastal developments and offshore oil exploration, it will be prudent to undertake regular monitoring of the petroleum hydrocarbons to ensure effective ecosystem functioning as well as seafood and drinking water safety in the Gulf region. The spatial distribution also highlights the lack of uniformity in assessments and the need to support marine pollution assessments in the Gulf countries.