Seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface sediments of the southern Caspian Sea

Mehrnaz Baniemam; Ali Mashinchian Moradi; Alireza Riyahi Bakhtiari; Mohammad Reza Fatemi; Keivan Ejlali Khanghah

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.027

Seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface sediments of the southern Caspian Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2017 Apr 15;117(1-2):478-485. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.027. Epub 2017 Jan 17.

Authors

Mehrnaz Baniemam¹, Ali Mashinchian Moradi², Alireza Riyahi Bakhtiari³, Mohammad Reza Fatemi¹, Keivan Ejlali Khanghah⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Biology, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Marine Biology, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: ali2m@yahoo.com.
³ Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran.
⁴ Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecology Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extention Organization (AREEO), Bandar Abbas, Iran.

PMID: 28108015
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.027

Abstract

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in sediments from the southern Caspian Sea in fall 2015 and winter 2016. The sum of 16 PAH (ΣPAH) concentrations varied from 17.3±3.05 to 926.7±157.37ngg^-1 dry weight and 14.3±0.58 to 85.8±4.41ngg^-1 dry weight in fall and winter, respectively. There was no significant correlation between PAH and total organic carbon contents (p>0.05). PAH source identification showed that the PAHs in the sediments originated from petroleum and petroleum combustion. When classified according to the pollution levels, sediments from the southern Caspian Sea could be considered to be low to moderately polluted with PAHs.

Keywords: Caspian Sea; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Season; Sediment.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring*
Geologic Sediments / analysis*
Oceans and Seas
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
Seasons*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical