Atmospheric pathways of chlorinated pesticides and natural bromoanisoles in the northern Baltic Sea and its catchment

Abstract

Long-range atmospheric transport is a major pathway for delivering persistent organic pollutants to the oceans. Atmospheric deposition and volatilization of chlorinated pesticides and algae-produced bromoanisoles (BAs) were estimated for Bothnian Bay, northern Baltic Sea, based on air and water concentrations measured in 2011–2012. Pesticide fluxes were estimated using monthly air and water temperatures and assuming 4 months ice cover when no exchange occurs. Fluxes were predicted to increase by about 50 % under a 2069–2099 prediction scenario of higher temperatures and no ice. Total atmospheric loadings to Bothnian Bay and its catchment were derived from air–sea gas exchange and “bulk” (precipitation + dry particle) deposition, resulting in net gains of 53 and 46 kg year−1 for endosulfans and hexachlorocyclohexanes, respectively, and net loss of 10 kg year−1 for chlordanes. Volatilization of BAs releases bromine to the atmosphere and may limit their residence time in Bothnian Bay. This initial study provides baseline information for future investigations of climate change on biogeochemical cycles in the northern Baltic Sea and its catchment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0666-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Spatial Distributions and Seasonal Changes of Current‐Use Pesticides from the North Pacific to the Arctic Oceans

“…Alachlor concentrations were in the range 0.01–2.2 ng/L (mean 0.49±0.55 ng/L). In contrast to the North Pacific Ocean, dacthal was not detected in the Chukchi Sea, even though it has been widely reported in high altitude Arctic environments where LRAT had a significant influence (Bidleman et al, ; Hermanson et al, ; Hoferkamp et al, ; Morris et al, ; Pućko et al, ; Ruggirello et al, ; Vorkamp & Rigét, ; Yao et al, ; Zhang et al, ; Zhong, Xie, Cai, et al, ). The distribution in the present study indicates a short half‐life and rapid degradation of dacthal in the ocean, and varying degrees of LRAT in different environmental conditions of the Arctic (Gouin, Cousins, et al, ; Gouin, Mackay, et al, ; van Pul et al, ).…”

20 Years of Air–Water Gas Exchange Observations for Pesticides in the Western Arctic Ocean

“…The RSD in H was assumed to be 0.2, on the basis of experimental measurements (Cetin et al, 2006;Jantunen and Bidleman, 2006;Sahsuvar et al, 2003). The uncertainties in f W and f A were assessed by propagating uncertainties in C W , C A and H. The 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for f W and f A were calculated from (Bidleman et al, 2015): …”

Industrial and natural compounds in filter-feeding black fly larvae and water in 3 tundra streams

“…More recent investigations in northern Sweden have expanded the list of identified compounds to include chlorinated pesticides (Newton et al 2014;Bidleman et al 2017b), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and novel flame retardants (NFRs; Newton et al 2014). In the Baltic Sea PCDD/Fs are also found in sediments (Assefa et al 2014) and chlorinated pesticides in water and fish (Nyberg et al 2014;Bidleman et al 2015). By contrast, fewer data are available concerning the occurrence and levels of persistent chemicals in aquatic environments of Arctic and subarctic northern Sweden.…”

“…We do know that concentrations of PCBs and dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) can be surprisingly elevated in boreal forest streams of northern Sweden (Bergknut et al 2011;Josefsson et al 2011Josefsson et al , 2016. In the Baltic Sea PCDD/Fs are also found in sediments (Assefa et al 2014) and chlorinated pesticides in water and fish (Nyberg et al 2014;Bidleman et al 2015). Results from these studies show an overall decline in PCB concentrations over recent decades, but results have differed among PCB congeners, across locations, and with the species considered.…”