Hydrocarbons in the surface microlayer and bottom sediments of the Black Sea

Data on concentrations and molecular structure of paraffin hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in dissolved and particulate forms in the surface microlayer and in bottom sediments of the inshore and central parts of the Black Sea are presented. Distribution of hydrocarbons in these regions is chiefly governed by the independent geochemical background distribution. Industrial pollutions play a noticeable role in the northwestern and southeastern zones of the basin and that is expressed by increase in concentrations of n-alkanes and PAHs (particularly in suspended matter) and increase in the ratios of industrially derived PAHs to biogenic PAHs.