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Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the distributions of anionic surfactant (AS) in seawater, total organic carbon (TOC) in bottom-surface sediment and to make an assessment of the organic matter pollution. Seawater samples for AS in the autumn of 2010 and winter of 2011, and bottom-surface sediments for TOC in the autumn of 2010 were collected from the Black Sea coastline of Turkey. According to the results, concentrations of AS in sea water were changed with seasons, regions and distance from the anthropogenic sources including industrial and domestic discharges. Generally, winter values of AS were higher than autumn at the nearshore stations of the eastern and middle Black Sea coasts. Maximum AS values (except Yenice River mouth) were measured in surface seawater of Ordu and in bottom seawater of Şile in the autumn and in surface and bottom seawater of Bafra in the winter. Additionally, the highest amount of AS in both seasons near Yenice River mouth showed the influence of the river. On the other hand, the highest amount of TOC was obtained in the sediment of İğneada (9.73%) and the C/N ratios indicated that organic matters in the sediment samples could be related to both marine and terrestrial sources. Anionic surfactant values were positively correlated (r=0.8-0.9) with total suspended solid negatively correlated with pH (r=0.6-0.4) and dissolved oxygen (r=0.96-0.87) in surface seawaters of the nearshore stations.