Melting Glaciers: A Probable Source of DDT to the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem

This dataset compares data on DDT concentration of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) eggs and found that p,p'-DDE levels have not declined in the Palmer population of Adelie penguins in more than 30 years. In contrast, ΣDDT decreased significantly from 1975 to 2003 in Arctic seabird eggs. ∑DDT in the fat of Adelie penguins from Cape Crozier measured in 2006 was significantly higher than that measured about in 1960 . p,p'- DDT/p,p'-DDE ratios <1.0 for several Antarctic organisms, including Adelie penguin eggs, suggest contamination by old DDT. Indeed, the p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE ratio measured in Adelie penguins has significantly declined since 1964, indicating a predominance of old rather than new sources of ΣDDT in the Antarctic. Two independent measurements of ΣDDT indicate that 14 kg• y-1 ΣDDT is currently being released into the Antarctic marine environment due to glacier ablation.