Ecological-geochemical assessment of petroleum hydrocarbon content in soils of the taiga zone of the Lower Amur region and Northern Sakhalin (Far East)

The background content of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in the most common soils of the Lower Amur region and Northern Sakhalin was determined. About 300 samples taken from the surface layers and horizons of 8 typical soil pedons were analyzed. The accumulative nature of TPH distribution in the soil profile was established, and their highest content was revealed in the organogenic horizons. The soils of eluvial landscapes (Podzols, Spodic Cambisols, Fulvic Cambisols) contain a smaller amount of TPH compared to the soils of accumulative landscapes (Histosols, Fluvisols). The maximum content of TPH was found in the Spodic Hyperalbic Technosols. The content of TPH in the anthropogenic abrasives of the Lower Amur region is estimated as acceptable, the level of pollution in the anthropogenic abrasives in Northern Sakhalin varies from low to very high. The results obtained on the background content of TPH can used for assessing of soils pollution and in conducting ecological monitoring studies