Abstract:

There were numerous wharfs in Wusong Estuary, where the sediments had been polluted by oil spills. The amount, composition and distribution characteristics of oily pollutions in the Wusong Estuary sediments were analyzed in horizontal and vertical directions. It showed that the sediments in the Wusong Estuary had been polluted to various degrees, the content of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in the sediments was 8~1 166 mg/kg. The carbon number range of chain hydrocarbons were C16~C33 in the oil pollutants, mainly by the composition C25~C32. Peak carbon of chain hydrocarbons is C31. It showed oddeven predominance. The research shows that the coast sediments at Wusong Estuary have been seriously polluted by heterogeneous oily pollutants, and the oil spill mainly originated from the terrestrial petroleum and its products.

Key words: Wusong Estuary; sediment; total petroleum hydrocarbon （TPH）