SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION AND CONTAMINATION LEVELS OF TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS AND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN MARINE ENVIRONMENT AT ALANG[-]SOSIYA SHIP SCRAPPING YARD, GULF OF CAMBAY, INDIA

ABSTRACT The present study assesses the distribution and contamination levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHCs) in surface seawaters during three successive seasons, (summer, monsoon and winter), and polyeyelie aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in intertidal sediments along the worlds largest Alang-Sosiya ship-scrapping yard. The pollution levels at this coast are evaluated and compared with those at one reference station (Mahuva, 60 km away from this yard towards south) in this region and similar ship scrapping yards in Asia. The concentrations of TPHCs in seawater were high in winter season followed by summer and monsoon which were relatively, much higher, about six times in winter and five times in summer/monsoon as compared to the reference station at Mahuva. The TPHCs concentrations in the coastal waters of Alang-Sosiya region are nearly 10–100 times higher on compared with other regions. The levels of PAHs found in the Alang-Sosiya sediments are between four and nine times higher than these prescri...