Scrutiny of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollutions in Water and Sediments in Southern Zone of Caspian Sea

Due to the location of a domestic, industrial and agricultural zone near the Caspian Sea, this water body has long been under pressure and environmental threat. As a result of development of oil production activities in Caspian region, such as oil exploration and extraction, a large volume of oil related pollutants is released annually into this important water body. Considering the fact that hydrocarbons may cause adverse impacts on the aquatic and marginal life, the monitoring of sediment as hydrocarbons in the sea has been considered. The purpose of this article is determination of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and comparing it with other coastal area in Caspian region-in Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan from spring 2010 to spring 2011. 225 water sample and 75 sediment sample in 15 stations during of 5 seasons have been collected and the levels of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) using FT-IR were determined. Based on results level of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) is the most level in autumn 2010. Also the highest and lowest level of total petroleum hydrocarbon in water were recorded in station 7 (Dastak region) and station 1 (Astara), respectively. Moreover, the highest and lowest level of total petroleum hydrocarbon in sediment were recorded in station 13 (Neka powerhouse) and station 8 (Ghasem abad), respectively. The results of ANOVA show that level of TPH in water and sediment among different seasons is significant, but there isn’t a significant difference among different stations.