Background Content of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons during Monitoring of Natural and Anthropogenically Transformed Landscapes in the Coastal Area Soils

The large-scale studies of the Lower Don and Taganrog Bay coastal zone were carried out to determine background concentrations polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils. content 15 priority PAHs was determined by saponification method with HPLC detection varied widely from 77 µg kg−1 16,017 mean median values 1040 406 kg−1, respectively. PAHs’ highest concentration level observed soils River delta industrial areas city affected pyrogenic contamination sources. Background monitoring sites mostly represented hydromorphic (Fluvisols Salic Tidalic Fluvisols) automorphic (Rendzic Leptosols, Mollic Leptosols) soil types study area. plots did not exceed 600 a share low-molecular-weight PAHs: about 50%. Benzo(a)pyrene maximum permissible (20 kg−1), compounds threshold for impact polyarenes. In soils, naphthalene phenanthrene (35–54%) dominated composition compounds, only (59–70%)