Hydrocarbons in Victorian Coastal Waters

Abstract

A resin adsorption apparatus consisting of a glass fibre prefilter. and stainless-steel column packed with Amberlite XAD-2 and teflon particles was used to sample seawater for dissolved and particulate hydrocarbons. Three areas of Victorian coastal waters were selected for their importance in water-quality management. Petroleum hydrocarbons were distinguished from recent biogenic hydrocarbons on the basis of gas chromatographic and fluorescence patterns. Levels of non-volatile hydrocarbons in seawater (C₁₄-C₃₄ paraffin boiling range) varied from less than 0.1µg I^-1 (the detection limit) to over 22 µg I^-1. Highest concentrations occurred close to shore-based inputs such as oil-refinery effluents. Most hydrocarbons in these coastal waters were sorbed onto particulate matter. Water samples corroborated evidence from the analyses of mussels and sediments in all three areas in identifying types and sources of hydrocarbons and in estimating the magnitude of local oil-pollution problems.