Hydrocarbon indicators, anthropogenic

Anthropogenic Hydrocarbon Indicators. All of the cited above represent individual markers for biological origins of sedimentary organic compounds can become pollutants in... 

The polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the soil sample were quantitated by using an external standard of anthracene. The results reportedly for a polluted soil and sediment sample indicate that this flash evaporation-pyrolysis technique combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a valuable tool for rapidly screening polluted samples for virtually all types of anthropogenic contaminants except for heavy metals. 

Fifty soils and sediments from many areas of the globe have been analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) using gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. The results of these analyses indicate that PAH are ubiquitous. The source of most of the PAH in these samples is combustion. The concentrations of PAH are highest in areas of high anthropogenic activity. PAH concentrations relative to distance from anthropogenic point sources also indicate that the major source of PAH in these sediments is attributable to human activity. 

Many reports have been made on the presence of pristane and phytane. The values of the ratio pristane/phytane given by Ledet and Laseter (1974) for hydrocarbons from the air/sea interface, varying from 1.5 to 2.3, are close to those found for petroleum (1.5—2.5 after Blumer and Sass, 1972) and are consequently indicative of anthropogenic pollution. 

Frequently, halogenated hydrocarbons in environmental matrices are quantified, in bulk, by a standard analytical procedure for adsorbable organic halogens (AOX). Originally conceived to monitor the formation of chlorinated organic compounds in drinking water, the data derived from environmental characterization have been interpreted as an indicator of anthropogenic... 

The global increase of tropospheric O3, CO, and CH4 concentrations, which is expected to continue in the future, is an indication of a fundamental change in the chemical behavior of the troposphere. Many gases, particularly hydrocarbons, are continuously emitted into the atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sources. A buildup of these gases in the atmosphere is prevented by a self-cleaning mechanism, whereby these substances are slowly combusted photochemicaUy to COz-... 

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