The Relation Between The Grain Size Composition Of The Sediments From The Nw Black Sea And Their Total Organic Carbon (Toc) Content

Abstract

Abstract: The relation between the grain size composition TOC (total organic carbon) concentration was examined by linear and non-linear regression analysis of analytical data for more than 500 sediment samples from the NW Black Sea. A significant dependency of the TOC concentration on the percentages of clay and especially the <16 μm fraction (clay plus fine and very fine silt) was identified, the model best fitting the analytical data being exponential. Three groups of sediment samples were identified using the K-means clustering technique, the deep sea sediment samples being clearly singled out.