RESUMEN
The concentration, composition and characteristic parameters of 18 surface sediment samples collected from Jinzhou Bay were studied. The samples were soxhlet-extracted with a mixture of 1: 1 (V/V) dichloromethane-hexane and analyzed by GC-MS after purification and concentration. Concentrations of n-alkanes vary from 1.9 to 4.2 microg x g(-1) with an average value of 2.6 microg x g(-1) dry weight. n-Alkanes distribution patterns of all positions were characterized by double peak-cluster, which means double sources from terrestrial and marine origin. The sum of nC25 to nC31 accounts for 20%-32% of the total n-alkanes, while the average value of L/H, C31/C19, TAR ratio are 0.67, 3.06, 2.02, respectively. All of these three indices suggest that the terrestrial contributions are higher than marine sources, especially for No. 2, 3 and 7 stations, which were influenced by riverinput nearby. Carbon Preference Index (CPI) ranges from 1.19 to 2.63 with an average value of 1.73, which is close to 1; the ratio of Pristane/Phytane (Pr/Ph) and unresolved/resolved compounds (U/R) range from 0.91 to 1.28, 2.2 to 4.3, respectively. All of these three parameters indicate that No. 13 and 15 stations are influenced by petroleum pollution. Comprehensive analysis of various parameters shows that Jinzhou Bay is threatened by both terrestrial inputs and petroleum hydrocarbons contaminations, which may relate to river discharging and port shipping in Jinzhou Bay.