Volatile Organic Compounds in the Mouth Areas of Small Rivers in Tatar Strait during Under-Ice Period

Abstract

Abstract The distribution of volatile organic compounds was studied in water and bottom sediments of estuaries of small tidal rivers. In the under-ice period, water showed high concentrations of organic matter: from 4.2 до 29.2 mg/L in fresh water, from 12.2 to 80.4 mg/L in slightly saline water, and 404 mg/L in seawater. The concentration of organic carbon in bottom sediments varied from <0.10 to 15.4%, and the amount of hydrocarbons varied from 0.01 to 1.43 mg/g. The concentrations of volatile organic compounds in under-ice river water was mostly below the standards established for water bodies used for fishery. Products of alcohol, acetone-butanol, and methane fermentation dominated in water and bottom sediments. The concentration of methanol in slightly saline lake water reached 13.76 mg/L. Levelling of the concentration of volatile organic compounds between bottom sediments and water because of the absence of surface flow, evaporation, and tidal transport is typical of the under-ice period.