title: Identifying the source of petroleum pollution in sediment cores of southwest of the Caspian Sea using chemical fingerprinting of aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons.
abstract: In this study, the concentration and sources of aliphatic and petroleum markers were investigated in 105 samples of Anzali, Rezvanshahr and Astara cores from the southwest of Caspian Sea. Petroleum importation was diagnosed as a main source in most depths of cores by the results of unresolved complex mixture, carbon preference index and hopanes and steranes. From the chemical diagnostic parameters, petroleum inputs in sediment of cores were determined to be different during years and the sources of hydrocarbons in some sections differed than Anzali and Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan oils. Diagenic ratios in most sediments of upper and middle sections in Astara core were determined to be highly similar to those of Azerbaijan oil, while the presence of Turkmenistan and Anzali oils were detected in a few sections of Anzali and Rezvanshahr cores and only five layers of downer section in Anzali core, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 46414-356, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran.
authors.forename: Golshan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shirneshan
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 46414-356, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran. Electronic address: riahi@modares.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Alireza Riyahi
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bakhtiari
authors.affiliation: Geosciences division of Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Memariani
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D006840:Hydrocarbons, Alicyclic / Q000032:analysis; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010578:Petroleum; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D006840:Hydrocarbons, Alicyclic; D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Biomarker; Caspian Sea; Core sediment; Oil pollution