Abstract:

The molecular biomarker compositions of ornithogenic sediments(YN),from Svalbard,Arctic were investigated.The results showed that n-alkanes had a bimodal pattern and their odd-even preference was not obvious.The alkanes contained unresolved complex mixtures(UCM),and relatively higher levels of pristine and retene indicating pollution from the coal mines nearby.The n-alkanols in the sediments with even-to-odd preference might originate mainly from modern biota.The dominant sterol was sitosterol,which is the main sterol found in herbivores feces,indicating that sitosterol might be a marker of input from the birds feces in the sediments.The fatty acids of YN also showed even-to-odd preference,and the main unsaturated fatty acid is C18∶1 acid.The α-hydroxyl acids and ω-hydroxyl fatty acids were also detected in the sediments.In summary,the YN sediments have inputs of organic matter from the adjacent coal mine and from bird feces and plants.