Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Antarctic seawater, Ross Sea

Few investigations have been carried out to determine the POP content of seawater. One recent investigation was carried out to study the vertical distribution of PCbs and PAHs in the costal area of the Ross Sea during the Antarctic summer (from November to February). PCB and PAHs showed a concentration range in the water column of 30-120 pg l-1 and 150-400 pg l-1, respectively, and these values were strongly dependent on the suspended matter content. Moreover, isomer ratios of PAHs, such as PHE/ANT and low molecular weight PAHs/high molecular weight PAHs (LMW/HMW) highlight that the main PAH source might be petrogenic in nature, whereas the pyrolytic source seems to be less important.
In consideration of the mechanism of cold condensation, the surface waters play an important role in the global distribution and in the long-range transport to cooler regions.
The sea surface micro-layer (SML) (0.1-0.001 mm) is the geographically widest environmental interface that can be accessed by sufficiently reproducible sampling methods. It is the site where many important processes occur, including the accumulation of pollutants and other chemical substances, atmospheric particles and microorganism.
A significant enrichment of PCbs and PAHs was observed in the sea surface micro layer in respect to the sub surface water (SSW) samples gathered at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea The same compounds identified in sea water sample were also present in “fresh” snow. Probably chemicals found in the SML were transferred to the “fresh snow” sample by marine aerosol and they were enriched particularly in the finest particles, which can be involved in the long range transport of pollutants. In this context, data on PAH concentrations were used to identify possible sources and to assess portioning of pollutants between the dissolved and particulate fractions. The enrichment of PCBs and PAHs in the sea-surface micro-layer was investigated at Gerlache Inlet, terra Nova Bay, Antarctica.