A comparative study of chemical and microbiological monitoring of pollutant hydrocarbons in urban aquatic environments.

Conventional chemical and microbiological methods-aromatics by UV-fluorescence and the number of oil-degrading microorganisms, respectively-have been used for the monitoring of pollutant hydrocarbons in three different aquatic systems: two rivers, one harbour and three marine coastal areas. An evaluation of the first year data of such study is presented. Relative populations of total heterotrophic microorganisms and those of degrading hydrocarbons correlate satisfactorily with hydrocarbon concentrations in marine areas, where chronic pollution situations occur, whereas unreliable results were obtained in the river systems. The water temperature seems to have a positive influence on the response of microorganisms to oil pollution.