Specific features of temporal and spatial distributions of light hydrocarbons in the Sea of Azov

New data from recent surveys investigating the geochemistry of light hydrocarbons over a 4-year period in the Chernomorneftegaz petroleum license area in the central Sea of Azov are presented in this paper. The distributions of light hydrocarbons in both marine sediments and seawater were studied, and stable anomalies of hydrocarbons detected. Based on complex interpretations of geochemical and geophysical data, it has been shown that migration from the deep part of the sediment cover to the surface (seabed) is the main factor which determines the spatial distribution of hydrocarbons in the modern seabed sediments and seawater. The contribution of microbial and anthropogenic processes is insignificant.