This review presents the spatio-temporal distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons including total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), total organic carbon (TOC), total aliphatics, unresolved complex mixture (UCM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments of the Gulf (Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman). The TPH ranged between 0.134 and 48,018 μg g⁻¹ dw where 10–15 μg g⁻¹ dw was considered as a background concentration. The TOC levels were between 0.04 and 14.96% with a mean concentration of 1.154 ± 0.523%. Total aliphatic hydrocarbon levels were reported between 0.1 and 76 μg g⁻¹, the 2005 levels that had the largest spatial coverage were between 0.1 and 4.4 μg g⁻¹. The unresolved complex mixture was very variable post Gulf War but by 2005 most of the Gulf War artifacts had decreased and the levels were between 1.5 and 73.5 μg g⁻¹. The ƩPAHs in bottom sediments by 2005 were between 0.3 and 3450 ng g⁻¹. The total aromatics were limited in spatial extent and varied between 1.0 and 14,000 μg g⁻¹. Most of the locations with elevated contamination levels were near point sources, e.g. oil facilities and ports, and these sites could be categorized as chronically contaminated by oil. This review highlights the paucity of the data both in terms of the spatial extent and temporal coverage, and with several Gulf states undergoing large-scale coastal developments and offshore oil exploration, it will be prudent to undertake regular monitoring of the petroleum hydrocarbons to ensure effective ecosystem functioning as well as seafood and drinking water safety in the Gulf region. The spatial distribution also highlights the lack of uniformity in assessments and the need to support marine pollution assessments in the Gulf countries.

这篇综述介绍了海洋沉积物中石油烃的时空分布，包括总石油烃 (TPH)、总有机碳 (TOC)、总脂肪烃、未解析的复杂混合物 (UCM)、多环芳烃 (PAH) 和总芳烃海湾地区（伊拉克、伊朗、科威特、沙特阿拉伯、巴林、卡塔尔、阿拉伯联合酋长国和阿曼）。TPH 介于 0.134 和 48,018 μg g ^-1 dw 之间，其中 10-15 μg g ^-1 dw 被认为是背景浓度。TOC 水平介于 0.04 和 14.96% 之间，平均浓度为 1.154 ± 0.523%。报告的总脂肪烃含量介于 0.1 和 76 μg g ^{-1 之间}，2005 年空间覆盖范围最大的含量介于 0.1 和 4.4 μg g^-1。海湾战争后，未解析的复杂混合物变化很大，但到 2005 年，海湾战争中的大部分人工制品都减少了，含量在 1.5 到 73.5 μg g ^{-1 之间}。到 2005 年，底部沉积物中的 ƩPAHs 在 0.3 到 3450 ng g ^{-1 之间}。总芳烃在空间范围内受到限制，在 1.0 到 14,000 μg g ^-1之间变化. 大多数污染水平较高的地点靠近点源，例如石油设施和港口，这些地点可以归类为长期被石油污染。本次审查强调了数据在空间范围和时间覆盖方面的匮乏，并且随着几个海湾国家正在进行大规模的沿海开发和海上石油勘探，对石油碳氢化合物进行定期监测以确保有效海湾地区的生态系统功能以及海鲜和饮用水安全。空间分布还突出了评估缺乏统一性以及支持海湾国家海洋污染评估的必要性。