The role of the global cryosphere in the fate of organic contaminants

The cryosphere is an important component of global organic contaminant cycles. Snow is an efficient scavenger of atmospheric organic pollutants while a seasonal snowpack, sea ice, glaciers and ice caps are contaminant reservoirs on time scales ranging from days to millennia. Important physical and chemical processes occurring in the various cryospheric compartments impact contaminant cycling and fate. A variety of interactions and feedbacks also occur within the cryospheric system, most of which are susceptible to perturbations due to climate change. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the transport and processing of organic contaminants in the global cryosphere with an emphasis on the role of a changing climate. Given the complexity of contaminant interactions with the cryosphere and limitations on resources and research capacity, interdisciplinary research and extended collaborations are essential to close identified knowledge gaps and to improve our understanding of contaminant fate under a changing climate

Multicompartmental analysis of POPs and PAHs in Concepciόn Bay, central Chile: Part II – Air-sea exchange during Austral summer

Air-sea exchange of POPs and PAHs was assessed in Concepción Bay during January, summer 2015. Results showed low levels, in air and water, for POPs (1–20 pg m−3, and 6–50 pg L−1, respectively) and for ΣPAHs (1–2 ng m−3 and 1–2 ng L−1, respectively). The highest levels were found for PBDEs (200–20,000 pg L−1) in the water samples (3-fold times higher than PCBs and OCP) and PBDE209 accounted for 90% of total ΣPBDEs. Air–sea exchange fluxes (ng m−2 d−1) were low in general, with exception of PBDEs showing values up to 40,000 ng m−2 d−1. Net deposition was found for PAHs, HCB and some PBDEs; while, BDE99, and BDE100 showed net volatilization. These findings contribute with new data of diffusive air-sea exchange on the southern hemisphere Pacific coast