CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa 403004, India.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 May 15;70(1-2):81-9. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.02.015. Epub 2013 Mar 19.
Deposition of tar balls along the coast of Goa, India is a common phenomenon during the southwest monsoon. Representative tar ball samples collected from various beaches of Goa and one Bombay High (BH) crude oil sample were subjected to fingerprint analysis based on diagnostic ratios of n-alkane, biomarkers of pentacyclic tri-terpanes and compound specific stable carbon isotope (δ¹³C) analysis to confirm the source. The results were compared with the published data of Middle East Crude Oil (MECO) and South East Asian Crude Oil (SEACO). The results revealed that the tar balls were from tanker-wash derived spills. The study also confirmed that the source is not the BH, but SEACO. The present study suggests that the biomarkers of alkanes and hopanes coupled with stable carbon isotope analysis act as a powerful tool for tracing the source of tar balls, particularly when the source specific biomarkers fail to distinguish the source.
在印度果阿沿海地区，焦油球的沉积是西南季风期间的常见现象。从果阿的各个海滩和一个孟买高地（BH）原油样品中采集的有代表性的焦油球样品，根据正构烷烃的诊断比、五环三萜烷生物标志物和化合物特定稳定碳同位素（δ¹³C）分析进行指纹分析，以确认来源。将结果与已发表的中东原油（MECO）和东南亚原油（SEACO）数据进行比较。结果表明，焦油球来自油轮冲洗造成的溢油。该研究还证实，来源不是 BH，而是 SEACO。本研究表明，烷烃和藿烷的生物标志物与稳定碳同位素分析相结合，是追踪焦油球来源的有力工具，特别是当特定于来源的生物标志物无法区分来源时。
