SOLUTE AND PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATERIAL O F THE SAKHALIN ISLAND SHELF

The solute and particulate contents of organic materials, lipids, and aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface and n ear-bottom waters are measured in the Bay of Sakhalin in the spots of the Astrakhan geologic structure (Area A), and Lozin (Area B), Bautin (Area C), and Arkutun-Dagi (Area D) oil and gas deposits located in th e NE Sakhalin shelf. In the east region of the shelf, the parameters i n question average 1.6-2.3 mg/l for solute organic material (SOM), 16. 5-23.8 mu g/l for particulate organic material (POM), 18.3-22.8 mu g/l for solute hydrocarbons (HCs), 8.0-31.2 mu g/l for particulate hydroc arbons (HCP), 4.4-12.7 ng/l for PAH(s), and 47.5-96.7 ng/l for PAH(p). These ranges are close to the respective concentrations determined pr eviously in the coastal seawaters and may be taken as the background l evel ranges. In the Bay of Sakhalin, all types of organic compounds sh ow elevated levels, occasionally exceeding the maximum permissible lev el (50 mu g/l) for petroleum hydrocarbons. The alkane and PAI-I spectr a suggest that the elevated concentrations are natural and caused by t he discharge of the Amur river and the inflow from bottom sediments.