Science · 1975 · 43 citations · 13 references
BioconcentrationModern Organic CarbonEngineeringChemical PollutantFossil Organic CarbonPetroleum PollutantsOrganic GeochemistryEnvironmental ChemistryPetroleum ChemistryCarbon CycleCarbon SequestrationBiogeochemistryOrganic-rich Sedimentary RockWater QualityEcotoxicologyDissolved Organic CarbonCarbon-14 ActivityEnvironmental EngineeringPetroleum Geochemistry
The (14)C activity of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can be used to distinguish between the fossil organic carbon due to petrochemical effluents and modern organic carbon due to domestic wastes and natural decaying organic matter. Rivers polluted by petrochemical effluents show varying amounts of depression of the DOC (14)C activity, reflecting concentrations of (14)C-deficient fossil carbon of as much as about 40 percent of the total DOC.
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