Tar ball Monitoring Along the Kenyan Beaches.

Observations and measurements of petroleum tar balls on a number of Kenyan beaches were carried out between 1979 and 1982. A large variation in the size and amount of tar deposit at the beaches was recorded. These values ranged from very small pebbles to large lumps of 30 cm in diameter, weighing up to 1.5 kg. The average tar loading during the sampling period ranged from 0-18 g/m2. Between 25-50% by weight of the tar lumps were shell fragments, sand and other nonpetroleum debris. The chemical characteristics of the tar lumps, as determined by gas chromatography, showed patterns similar to crude oil sludge. Hydrocarbons lighter than C11 were absent but alkanes up to C34 were present. Beaches near the harbour exhibited high values, indicating that most of the oil may have had its origin within the port. Higher tar loading on the northern beaches indicated that the distribution may be influenced by the pattern of winds and currents which is predominantly northwards. The results obtained during the sampling indicate a general reduction in the quantity of tar depositions. This reduction is attributed to reduction in volume of marine oil traffic and enforcement of international regulations against oil pollution.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Nguta, M.
Format:	Book Section biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC) 1993
Subjects:	Tar balls, Marine pollution, Oil pollution,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/1834/7155
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