part of the Bay. The ratio between the catchment area and the area of Sevastopol
Bay is estimated 56 that indicates how significant the terrigenous component is to
sedimentation. In Sevastopol Bay sedimentation goes at relatively high rate – about
2.4 mm/year. as a study based on
137 Cs measurements has shown (Egorov et al.
2002). This estimate closely approximately the sedimentation rates characteristic of
the northwestern Black Sea and the Azov Sea – 2.3 and 2.5 mm/year, correspondingly (Gulin et al. 1984).
20.3 Material and Methods
To compare the changes in oil pollution levels of bottom sediments of Sevastopol
Bay (SW Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea), the results of complex environmental
surveys of 2000, 2009 were used (Fig. 20.1). Study methods included: – sampling
of bottom sediments with a modified Petersen dredge having the catchment area
0.025 m
2 (three replicates per station); À granulometric analysis by siege method
which provided fractionation of the sediment through dry dispersion; – measurements of Eh, pH immediately after sampling with the use of needle – shaped
platinum electrodes coupled with an argentum chlor electrode and a combined
glass electrode (Shishkina 1980) and – natural moisture content using traditional
weighing technique (Shostak and Lyusternik 1988). Determination the concentrations of oil hydrocarbons (total) was made by using method of infrared spectrometry (IR spectrometer FSM 1201), based on the measurement of absorption
intensity of the methylene (ÀCH2) and the methyl (ÀCH3) groups in near infrared
area of a range (2700–3100 cm
À1 ) that covers over 90% of petroleum hydrocarbons
(Kiryukhina and Gubasaryan 2000).
20.4 Results and Discussion
All analyzed indices are given in Table 20.1. Grahulometric composition of bottom
sediments on a bigger area of Sevastopol Bay was characterized by prevalence of
aleuro- pelitic silts (of gray to black colour with smell of hydrogen sulfide). Black
silts were steadily concentrated in the central area of the Bay and Southern bay
(Fig. 20.1; st. 7–9a; 10–12b;); mixed substratums (the sands with mollusk shells,
light silts etc.) were registered only on separate stations near the Bay mouth
(Fig. 20.1; st. 17–19).
Natural moisture varied between the sampling sites but with a characteristic
decrease of appropriate values from the black to grey silts and then to “others”. The
range of pH showed a relative stability of acid-base balance for the most sediments
(from near neutral up to weakly alkaline conditions). In 2000, the most sediments
were characterized by negative Eh; the positive values were registered only at some
stations of the more seaward area of the Bay (Fig. 20.1; st.: 14, 16, 17–19).
20 Oil Hydrocarbons in Bottom Sediments of Sevastopol Bay (SW Crimean. . .
359
Bay is estimated 56 that indicates how significant the terrigenous component is to
sedimentation. In Sevastopol Bay sedimentation goes at relatively high rate – about
2.4 mm/year. as a study based on
137 Cs measurements has shown (Egorov et al.
2002). This estimate closely approximately the sedimentation rates characteristic of
the northwestern Black Sea and the Azov Sea – 2.3 and 2.5 mm/year, correspondingly (Gulin et al. 1984).
20.3 Material and Methods
To compare the changes in oil pollution levels of bottom sediments of Sevastopol
Bay (SW Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea), the results of complex environmental
surveys of 2000, 2009 were used (Fig. 20.1). Study methods included: – sampling
of bottom sediments with a modified Petersen dredge having the catchment area
0.025 m
2 (three replicates per station); À granulometric analysis by siege method
which provided fractionation of the sediment through dry dispersion; – measurements of Eh, pH immediately after sampling with the use of needle – shaped
platinum electrodes coupled with an argentum chlor electrode and a combined
glass electrode (Shishkina 1980) and – natural moisture content using traditional
weighing technique (Shostak and Lyusternik 1988). Determination the concentrations of oil hydrocarbons (total) was made by using method of infrared spectrometry (IR spectrometer FSM 1201), based on the measurement of absorption
intensity of the methylene (ÀCH2) and the methyl (ÀCH3) groups in near infrared
area of a range (2700–3100 cm
À1 ) that covers over 90% of petroleum hydrocarbons
(Kiryukhina and Gubasaryan 2000).
20.4 Results and Discussion
All analyzed indices are given in Table 20.1. Grahulometric composition of bottom
sediments on a bigger area of Sevastopol Bay was characterized by prevalence of
aleuro- pelitic silts (of gray to black colour with smell of hydrogen sulfide). Black
silts were steadily concentrated in the central area of the Bay and Southern bay
(Fig. 20.1; st. 7–9a; 10–12b;); mixed substratums (the sands with mollusk shells,
light silts etc.) were registered only on separate stations near the Bay mouth
(Fig. 20.1; st. 17–19).
Natural moisture varied between the sampling sites but with a characteristic
decrease of appropriate values from the black to grey silts and then to “others”. The
range of pH showed a relative stability of acid-base balance for the most sediments
(from near neutral up to weakly alkaline conditions). In 2000, the most sediments
were characterized by negative Eh; the positive values were registered only at some
stations of the more seaward area of the Bay (Fig. 20.1; st.: 14, 16, 17–19).
20 Oil Hydrocarbons in Bottom Sediments of Sevastopol Bay (SW Crimean. . .
359