Current State of Deep Oil Seepage Near Cape Gorevoi Utes (Central Baikal)

摘要

We present data, collected in 2016, on the concentration of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and bottom sediments as well as the abundance and composition of the cultured microbial community in the area of the oil seepage near Cape Gorevoi Utes. Since its discovery in 2005, the development dynamics of the oil seepage has demonstrated a decrease in the total concentration of normal hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oil slicks and bottom sediments, partial degradation of oil entering the water surface, and an increase and subsequent reduction in the number of microorganisms in water and bottom sediments with the maintained structure of the cultured microbial community. From 2006 to 2016, there was a low total concentration and a narrow range of detected concentrations of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water column, which indicates the preservation of water purity in the lake near the oil seepage.