PMID- 24999726
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20141008
LR  - 20181202
IS  - 1520-5851 (Electronic)
IS  - 0013-936X (Linking)
VI  - 48
IP  - 14
DP  - 2014 Jul 15
TI  - Polychlorinated biphenyls in glaciers. 2. Model results of deposition and 
      incorporation processes.
PG  - 7849-57
LID - 10.1021/es501793h [doi]
AB  - In previous work, Alpine glaciers have been identified as a secondary source of 
      persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, detailed understanding of the 
      processes organic chemicals undergo in a glacial system was missing. Here, we 
      present results from a chemical fate model describing deposition and 
      incorporation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into an Alpine glacier 
      (Fiescherhorn, Switzerland) and an Arctic glacier (Lomonosovfonna, Norway). To 
      understand PCB fate and dynamics, we investigate the interaction of deposition, 
      sorption to ice and particles in the atmosphere and within the glacier, 
      revolatilization, diffusion and degradation, and discuss the effects of these 
      processes on the fate of individual PCB congeners. The model is able to reproduce 
      measured absolute concentrations in the two glaciers for most PCB congeners. 
      While the model generally predicts concentration profiles peaking in the 1970s, 
      in the measurements, this behavior can only be seen for higher-chlorinated PCB 
      congeners on Fiescherhorn glacier. We suspect seasonal melt processes are 
      disturbing the concentration profiles of the lower-chlorinated PCB congeners. 
      While a lower-chlorinated PCB congener is mainly deposited by dry deposition and 
      almost completely revolatilized after deposition, a higher-chlorinated PCB 
      congener is predominantly transferred to the glacier surface by wet deposition 
      and then is incorporated into the glacier ice. The incorporated amounts of PCBs 
      are higher on the Alpine glacier than on the Arctic glacier due to the higher 
      precipitation rate and aerosol particle concentration on the former. Future 
      studies should include the effects of seasonal melt processes, calculate the 
      quantities of PCBs incorporated into the entire glacier surface, and estimate the 
      quantity of chemicals released from glaciers to determine the importance of 
      glaciers as a secondary source of organic chemicals to remote aquatic ecosystems.
FAU - Steinlin, Christine
AU  - Steinlin C
AD  - Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 
      CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Bogdal, Christian
AU  - Bogdal C
FAU - Scheringer, Martin
AU  - Scheringer M
FAU - Pavlova, Pavlina A
AU  - Pavlova PA
FAU - Schwikowski, Margit
AU  - Schwikowski M
FAU - Schmid, Peter
AU  - Schmid P
FAU - Hungerbuhler, Konrad
AU  - Hungerbuhler K
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20140707
PL  - United States
TA  - Environ Sci Technol
JT  - Environmental science & technology
JID - 0213155
RN  - 0 (Air Pollutants)
RN  - DFC2HB4I0K (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
SB  - IM
MH  - Air
MH  - Air Pollutants/analysis
MH  - Ice Cover/*chemistry
MH  - *Models, Theoretical
MH  - Polychlorinated Biphenyls/*analysis
MH  - Switzerland
EDAT- 2014/07/08 06:00
MHDA- 2014/10/09 06:00
CRDT- 2014/07/08 06:00
PHST- 2014/07/08 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2014/07/08 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2014/10/09 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1021/es501793h [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Sci Technol. 2014 Jul 15;48(14):7849-57. doi: 10.1021/es501793h. Epub 
      2014 Jul 7.