Hydrocarbons in Soil from Basra Oil-Rich Governorate

Basra is a rich-oil region; its soil is expected to be contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. However, there is no previous study that has estimated the levels of hydrocarbons in Basra soil. After 2003 numerous operations by several international oil companies are underway. Therefore, the determination of background levels of petroleum hydrocarbons is a priority from environmental point of view. The present study was carried out to determine the distribution and seasonal variations of petroleum hydrocarbons in ten sites in Basra Governorate, southern Iraq. The results obtained in this study can service as baseline for future environmental impact assessment of oil operations.