Fragrances in the seawater of Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Vecchiato, Marco; Gregoris, Elena; Barbaro, Elena; Barbante, Carlo; Piazza, Rossano; Gambaro, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.197

Cited by 34 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Single compounds demonstrate similar trends to the total fragrances. The three most abundant single compounds throughout the entire timespan are Amyl Salicylate, Hexyl Salicylate and Benzyl Salicylate, constituting 80-96% of the total fragrance concentrations in the samples (Table SI3) which is similar to previous studies 8, [28][29][30] . Relative contributions of Amyl, Hexyl and Benzyl Salicylate vary only slightly through time (Fig.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…fragrance pollution in the elbrus ice core. Although personal care products are generally considered to be contaminants with a low environmental mobility 9 , the presence of the fragrances on the summit of the Elbrus icefield can primarily be explained by the cold condensation of long-range transported contaminants, as suggested by the literature 8,[28][29][30] . The concentrations of the fragrances detected in the most recent samples are higher than those of the same compounds found in other remote regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fragrance concentrations in background snow subject to LRAT were up to 10 ng L −1 , while in Kongsfjorden seawater the fragrance concentrations remained below 5.8 ng L −1 8 . In Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, the concentrations of fragrances in seawater increased from a few ng L −1 up to 100 ng L −1 during the seasonal melt of the sea ice and of its snow cover 28 . These results suggest that long-range transport of fragrances indirectly influence polar regions, while remote areas in the mid latitudes, such as mountain glaciers, have relatively closer sources of fragrances.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Great Acceleration of fragrances and PAHs archived in an ice core from Elbrus, Caucasus

Vecchiato

Gambaro

Kehrwald

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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the Great Acceleration of the anthropogenic impact on the earth system is marked by the ubiquitous distribution of anthropogenic materials throughout the global environment, including technofossils, radionuclides and the exponential increases of methane and carbon dioxide concentrations. However, personal care products as direct tracers of human domestic habits are often overlooked. Here, we present the first research combining fragrances, as novel personal care products, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pAHs) as combustion and industrial markers, across the onset of the Great Acceleration in the Elbrus, Caucasus, ice core. This archive extends from the 1930s to 2005, spanning the profound changes in the relationship between humans and the environment during the twentieth century. concentrations of both fragrances and pAHs rose throughout the considered period, reflecting the development of the Anthropocene. However, within this rising trend, remarkable decreases of the tracers track the major socioeconomic crises that occurred in eastern europe during the second half of the twentieth century. The recent influence of human activity on the global environment is so profound that a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, was proposed. From the mid-twentieth century onwards the exponential growth in human population, economic activity and resource consumption created a global-scale change in the human signal, defined as the Great Acceleration 1,2. Geochemical signatures due to novel anthropogenic materials, including new minerals, plastics and organic contaminants, can be detected in nearly every terrestrial environment. The cryosphere is particularly good at archiving this human signal, by preserving the deposited aerosols and chemicals in the ice 3,4. A variety of indicators related to human population growth demonstrate a marked increasing trend since the 1950s 5 , but few studies consider the evolution of personal care products as socioeconomic development tracers during the Great Acceleration 6. The concentrations of these compounds in environmental matrices may be related to population size, changing industrial production and domestic behavior, as well as due to transport mechanisms 7. The knowledge regarding the distribution of personal care products in the cryosphere is limited 8-10 and no studies currently consider these contaminants in ice cores. Compared to personal care products, more information is available for the presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ice core archives. However, the related literature is restricted to a handful of studies, representing different Arctic 11,12 , Antarctic 13,14 and high altitude environments 15-17. PAHs are produced by the incomplete combustion of organic material and partially derive from natural sources, but mostly derive from anthropogenic emissions 18. While this human signal can be detected in remote environments 19 , the majority of the research in mountain environments is from other Eurasian mountain ranges such as the Himalaya or the Alps, w...

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Great Acceleration of fragrances and PAHs archived in an ice core from Elbrus, Caucasus

Vecchiato

Gambaro

Kehrwald

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…The data set of K SA generated from this work shows that the more hydrophobic (higher chlorination) PCBs that could be quantified did not amplify in melted snow, consistent with their lower f w / f a ratios in seawater (Figures and ), and also lower f s / f a ratios at land (SI Figure S3). Unfortunately, there are no field or laboratory measurements of K SA for many legacy and emerging POPs previously reported in Antarctica, ,− other cold environments, and the virtual totality of chemicals currently in commercial use. Snow scavenging of aerosol-bound POPs will increase the snow amplification potential discussed here, as K SA H’ indicates only the contaminant amplification potential due to scavenging of gas-phase organic pollutants.…”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snow Amplification of Persistent Organic Pollutants at Coastal Antarctica

Casal

Casas

Vila‐Costa

et al. 2019

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Many legacy and emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been reported in polar regions, and act as sentinels of global pollution. Maritime Antarctica is recipient of abundant snow precipitation. Snow scavenges air pollutants, and after snow melting, it can induce an unquantified and poorly understood amplification of concentrations of POPs. Air, snow, the fugacity in soils and snow, seawater and plankton were sampled concurrently from late spring to late summer at Livingston Island (Antarctica). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) concentrations in snow and air were close to equilibrium. POPs in soils showed concentrations close to soil–air equilibrium or net volatilization depending on chemical volatility. Seawater–air fugacity ratios were highly correlated with the product of the snow–air partition coefficient and the Henry’s law constant (K SA H’), a measure of snow amplification of fugacity. Therefore, coastal seawater mirrored the PCB congener profile and increased concentrations in snowmelt due to snowpack releasing POPs to seawater. The influence of snowpack and glacier inputs was further evidenced by the correlation between net volatilization fluxes of PCBs and seawater salinity. A meta-analysis of K SA, estimated as the ratio of POP concentrations in snow and air from previously reported simultaneous field measurements, showed that snow amplification is relevant for diverse families of POPs, independent of their volatility. We claim that the potential impact of atmospheric pollution on aquatic ecosystems has been under-predicted by only considering air–water partitioning, as snow amplification influences, and may even control, the POP occurrence in cold environments.

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“…The first observations of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the polynya were made with manned aircraft in late 1980s [12]. Since then a number of campaigns covering different branches of science have taken place in the bay, including studies of atmospheric chemistry [21], seawater chemistry [22], biology [23] and physical oceanography [24]. The first late winter measurements of the atmosphere and surface state in Terra Nova Bay have been done in September 2009 by Aerosonde unmanned aerial systems (UAS) [25] and were followed up by a second successful Aerosonde UAS field campaign in September 2012 [26], which provided a comprehensive three-dimensional description of the atmosphere over TNBP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Surface Conditions during Katabatic Wind Events over the Terra Nova Bay Polynya

Wenta

Cassano

2020

Remote Sensing

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Off the coast of Victoria Land, Antarctica an area of open water—the Terra Nova Bay Polynya (TNBP)—persists throughout the austral winter. The development of this coastal polynya is driven by extreme katabatic winds blowing down the slopes of Transantarctic Mountains. The surface-atmosphere coupling and ABL transformation during the katabatic wind events between 18 and 25 September 2012 in Terra Nova Bay are studied, using observations from Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system (UAS), numerical modeling results and Antarctic Weather Station (AWS) measurements. First, we analyze how the persistence and strength of the katabatic winds relate to sea level pressure (SLP) changes in the region throughout the studied period. Secondly, the polynya extent variations are analysed in relation to wind speed changes. We conclude that the intensity of the flow, surface conditions in the bay and regional SLP fluctuations are all interconnected and contribute to polynya development. We also analyse the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) forecast for the studied period and find out that incorrect representation of vertical ABL properties over the TNBP might be caused by overestimated sea ice concentrations (SIC) used as model input. Altogether, this research provides a unique description of TNBP development and its interactions with the atmosphere and katabatic winds.

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Fragrances in the seawater of Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Cited by 34 publications

References 34 publications

The Great Acceleration of fragrances and PAHs archived in an ice core from Elbrus, Caucasus

The Great Acceleration of fragrances and PAHs archived in an ice core from Elbrus, Caucasus

Snow Amplification of Persistent Organic Pollutants at Coastal Antarctica

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Surface Conditions during Katabatic Wind Events over the Terra Nova Bay Polynya

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