Characteristics and sources of anthropogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons in sediments from the coast of Qatar.

Surface sediment samples from the coastal zone of Qatar were collected and analyzed to determine the characteristics, and sources of anthropogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons. The main compounds in these surface sediments included n-alkanes, methyl n-alkanoates, diterpenoids, hopanes, steranes, phthalate esters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and unresolved complex mixture (UCM). Their total concentrations ranged from 18.