Hydrocarbon Composition of Kazantip Cape Coastal Sediments (Azov Sea, Crimea)

The study of the hydrocarbon composition of coastal sediments at Kazantip Cape (Crimea) in the Azov Sea was conducted. On the one hand, this water area is suffered with a high level of anthropogenic load: recreation areas are located along the shores, hydrocarbon production is carried out on the cape, on the other hand, a part of the territory is a protected natural reserve. The final depot for the accumulation of any kind of pollutants and, accordingly, an indicator of the level of pollution, are bottom and coastal sediments. Determination of the qualitative and quantitative composition of hydrocarbons in coastal sediments was carried out using gas chromatography on a Kristall 5000.2 chromatograph. As a result, new data on the distribution of hydrocarbons in the bottom sediments of the coastal waters of Kazantip Cape with different levels of anthropogenic load were obtained. The places of their concentration were detected. The assessment of the level of hydrocarbon pollution and the probable sources of their entry into the marine environment was made. It was shown that the bottom sediments of the coastal zone of Kazantip Cape were not polluted and the concentrations of the main groups of hydrocarbons were within the average values for the Azov Sea. However, the presence of fresh influx of oil hydrocarbons, which can be of both anthropogenic and natural origin, was noted.