Petroleum Refinery Products Research Articles

Hydrocarbons in Open Ocean Waters

Nonvolatile hydrocarbons in Atlantic Ocean and nearby waters were found to contain aromatics at lower concentrations than would be expected if the source of the hydrocarbons were crude oil or petroleum refinery products. Hydrocarbons appear to persist in the water to varying degrees with the most persistent being the cycloparaffins, then the isoparaffins, and finally the aromatics.