Quantitative and qualitative composition of hydrocarbons in seawater and suspended matter in the eastern part of the Sea of Azov
O. V. SOLOVEVA1, E. A. TIKHONOVA1, O. A. MIRONOV1, O. V. STEPANYAN2, S. V. ALYOMOV1
1Federal Research Center “A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS”, Sevastopol, Russia
2Southern Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Keywords: Sea of Azov, hydrocarbons, n-alkanes, seawater, suspended matter, marine pollution, gas chromatography
Abstract
The physical and geographical characteristics of the Sea of Azov are distinguished by a number of specific features providing its uniqueness: shallow depths, a vast drainage basin relative to the sea size, significant river runoff, annually replacing a significant portion of the sea volume, and poor water exchange with other seas. Furthermore, the Sea of Azov basin encompasses one of the most densely populated regions of Russia and is considered to be the most heavily polluted (in particular by hydrocarbons) by human activities. The quantitative and qualitative composition of hydrocarbons in seawater and suspended matter in the eastern part of the Sea of Azov has been investigated. Samples were collected during Cruise 102 of the research vessel Deneb in November 2024. New, up-to-date data on hydrocarbon pollution in the Sea of Azov were obtained using gas chromatography and various molecular diagnostic indices, allowing for a hypothesis regarding the nature of the detected hydrocarbons. Statistical analysis was used to cluster sampling stations over the parameters studied. It has been concluded that the environmental conditions in the eastern part of the Sea of Azov are unfavourable with respect to hydrocarbon substances. It was established that, due to the active development of the microbial community, intensive transformation of n-alkanes of petroleum and autochthonous origin occurs in water and in suspended matter. The obtained results can be considered as background data when studying the consequences of the Volgoneft tanker accident near the Kerch Strait in December 2024.
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