Hydrocarbons Composition of Water and Suspended Matter of the Ham Luong River (Southeast Asia)

O. V. Soloveva1, E. A. Tikhonova1,*, Yu. S. Tkachenko1, Nguyen Trong Hiep2

1 A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia

2 Southern Branch of Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center, HoChiMinh, Vietnam

* e-mail: tihonoval@mail.ru

Abstract

The qualitative and quantitative composition of water and suspended matter hydrocarbons was assessed. The transformation of these compounds during their migration in the «water- suspension» system of the river delta in a tropical climate was studied on the example of one of the deepest branches of the Mekong River (Ham Luong River) in Vietnam. The material for the study was samples of surface and bottom water taken along the riverbed in November– December 2022. The physicochemical parameters of the environment were measured using a multimeter in situ. The qualitative and quantitative composition of hydrocarbons in the water and suspended matter was determined by gas chromatography on the basis of the Scientific and Practical Center for Spectrometry and Chromatography of the FRC IBSS. Biogeochemical markers of the origin of hydrocarbons were used to identify probable sources of organic matter. Individual physicochemical indicators of the aquatic environment (pH, O2, salinity, temperature, concentration of suspended matter) were characteristic for the rivers of the lower Mekong River and were within the limits characterizing the favorable state of the reservoir during the wet season. The content of hydrocarbons in the water of the Ham Luong River averaged 0.061±0.019 mg·L−1. These indicators were quite high, exceeding the sanitary standards (0.05 mg·L−1) for fishery reservoirs, or ap- proaching this value. The concentration of hydrocarbons in suspended matter averaged 0.019±0.009 mg·L−1. An increase in the content of hydrocarbons in the suspended phase was noted in the area where the river flows into the sea, in comparison with the sections of the river located upstream. Hydrocarbons in the water were of mixed origin, and contained both biogenic components of autochthonous and allochthonous origin, and traces of oil pollution. In suspended matter, along with biogenic compounds, there are also biodegraded petroleum compounds. Organic compounds, both of allochthonous and petroleum origin, coming from the catchment areas of the Ham Luong River, which is especially pronounced during the wet season, as well as from the surface of the river, further undergone biotrans- formation during the transition to a suspended state. As a result, the composition of n-alkanes in suspended matter differed significantly from that in water samples.

Keywords

hydrocarbons, n-alkanes, water, suspended matter, biogeochemical markers, tropical river, Mekong River, Ham Luong River, Vietnam

Acknowledgments

The study was carried out by researchers of the Joint Vietnam- Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center and the A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of Southern Seas of RAS according to their research projects: 1) Ekolan E3.4. Ecosystem of the Mekong River in the context of global climate change and anthropogenic impact; and 2) Molismological and biogeochemical foundations of homeostasis of marine ecosystems (state registration no. 121031500515-8).

For citation

Soloveva, O.V., Tikhonova, E.A., Tkachenko, Yu.S. and Nguyen Trong Hiep, 2023. Hydrocarbons Composition of Water and Suspended Matter of the Ham Luong River (Southeast Asia). Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (3), pp. 129–142.

References

  1. Pavlov, D.S. and Zvorykin, D.D., 2014. Ecology of Inland Waters of Vietnam. Moscow: Tovarishchestvo nauchnykh izdaniy KMK, 435 p. doi:10.13140/2.1.5079.6325 (in Russian).
  2. Dinh Nguyen An, 2021. Marine Environment Protection in Vietnam: Contemporary Issues and Challenges. In: V. M. Mazyrin and Vu Thuy Trang, eds., 2021. Independent Vietnam: National Interests and Values. Moscow: IFES RAS. Iss. 1, pp. 149–162. doi:10.24412/cl-36362-2021-1-149-162 (in Russian).
  3. Tereshchenko, T.N., Proskurnin, V.Yu., Chuzhikova-Proskurnina, O.D. and Trong Hiep Nguyen, 2023. [Chemoecological Monitoring of Water State in the Ham Luong River Related to Heavy Metals and Metalloids (Mekong River Mouth, Vietnam)]. In: Maykop State Technological University, 2023. Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Geology, Geophysics and Geoecology Using Modern Information Technologies. VII International Scientific and Practical Conference, Republic of Adygeya, Maykop, May 15–19, 2023. Part 2. Maykop: Izd-vo “IP Kucherenko V.O.”, pp. 214–220 (in Russian).
  4. Rizhinashvili, A.L., 2008. The Parameters of Organic Matter and Carbonate System Components in Waterbodies under Intensive Anthropogenic Influence. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Physics and Chemistry, (4), pp. 90–101 (in Russian).
  5. Ponomarev, A.Ya., 2015. Dissolved Oxygen as an Important Biogeochemical Indicator of Water Quality. Science Almanac, (12-2), pp. 146–148. doi:10.17117/na.2015.12.02.146
  6. Nemirovskaya, I.A., 2013. Oil in the Ocean (Pollution and Natural Flow). Moscow: Nauchny Mir, 432 p. (in Russian).
  7. Wang,X.-C., Sun, S., Ma, H.-Q. and Liu, Y., 2006. Sources and Distribution of Aliphatic and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 52(2), pp. 129–138. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.08.010
  8. Prati, L., Pavanello, R. and Pesarin, F., 1971. Assessment of Surface Water Quality by a Single Index of Pollution. Water Research, 5(9), pp. 741–751. doi:10.1016/0043- 1354(71)90097-2
  9. De Troyer, N., Mereta, S.T., Goethals, P.L.M. and Boets, P., 2016. Water Quality Assessment of Streams and Wetlands in a Fast Growing East African City. Water, 8(4), 123. doi:10.3390/w8040123
  10. Lisitsyn, A.P., 1994. A Marginal Filter of the Oceans. Okeanologiya, 34(5), pp. 735–747 (in Russian).
  11. Sor, R., Ngor, P.B., Soum, S., Chandra, S., Hogan, Z.S. and Null, S.E., 2021. Water Quality Degradation in the Lower Mekong Basin. Water, 13(11), 1555. doi:10.3390/w13111555
  12. Nemirovskaya, I.A., 2004. [Hydrocarbons in the Ocean (Snow-Ice-Water-Suspension- Bottom Sediments)]. Moscow: Nauchnyi Mir, 328 р. (in Russian).
  13. Nikolaev, Yu.A., Mulyukin, A.L., Stepanenko, I.Yu. and El'-Registan, G.I., 2006. Autoregulation of Stress Response in Microorganisms. Microbiology, 75(4), pp. 420–426. doi:10.1134/S0026261706040096
  14. Lisitsyn, A.P., ed., 2021. The Barents Sea System. Moscow: GEOS, 672 p. (in Russian).
  15. Tashlikova, N.A., Kuklin, A.P. and Bazarova, B.B., 2009. Primary Production of Phytoplankton, Epiphitic Seaweed and the Higher Water Plants in the Channels of the Selenga River Delta. Bulletin of KrasGAU, (9), pp. 106–111 (in Russian).
  16. Yáñez-Arancibia, A. and Day, J., 1982. Ecological Characterization of Terminos Lagoon, a Tropical Lagoon-Estuarine System in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. Oceanologica Acta, 5(4), pp. 431–440.
  17. Nemirovskaya, I.A., Kochenkova, A.I. and Khramtsova, A.V., 2020. Hydrocarbons at the Geochemical Barrier the Northern Dvina – the White Sea. Water Resources, 47(3), pp. 438–447. doi:10.1134/S0097807820030148
  18. Nemirovskaja, I.A., 2017. Hydrocarbons in Waters and Sediments of Coastal Marine Regions of Arctic. Environmental Monitoring and Ecosystem Modelling, 28(1), pp. 41–55. doi:10.21513/0207-2564-2017-1-41-32 (in Russian).

Full text

English version (PDF)

Russian version (PDF)