Calculating the Diffusive Flux of Persistent Organic Pollutants between Sediments and the Water Column on the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund Site Using Polymeric Passive Samplers

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 3925-3934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta A. Fernandez ◽  
Wenjian Lao ◽  
Keith A. Maruya ◽  
Robert M. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Diffusive Flux ◽  
Superfund Site

scholarly journals Dispersal of persistent organic pollutants from fiber-contaminated sediments: biotic and abiotic pathways

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Karin Dahlberg ◽  
Anna Apler ◽  
Paul Frogner-Kockum ◽  
Gunnel Göransson ◽  
Ian Snowball ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Contaminated Sediments ◽  
The Body ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sediment Surface ◽  
Average Particle ◽  
Particle Resuspension

Abstract Purpose Numerous sites contaminated with fiber emissions from pulp and paper industries are found in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, but there is limited knowledge about the magnitude of dispersal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from these anthropogenic, organic-rich sediments called fiberbanks. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare different POP dispersal pathways from such fiberbanks. Dispersal mechanisms studied included abiotic and biotic routes (dissolved in water, particle-bound, and bioaccumulation). Materials and methods Contaminated fibrous sediments located in Ångermanälven River estuary in north-eastern Sweden were studied in sediment types representing different fiber content (i.e., fiberbanks, fiber-rich sediments, and less fiber impacted sediments). Sediment-to-water fluxes of dissolved contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)) were measured in situ using benthic flux chambers. Particle resuspension was measured by sampling bottom water, before and after disturbing the sediment surface. Benthic biota was collected to determine the body burden of contaminants and to determine biota-pore water accumulation factors (BAFPW) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). In addition, concentrations of dissolved POPs in the water column were measured in field using passive samplers. Instrumental analysis was performed using gas chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). Results and discussion The flux of dissolved Σ20PCBs was approximately two times higher from one of the investigated fiberbanks (3.4 ng m− 2 day− 1) compared to the other. The average particle burden of PCBs was also higher at this fiberbank after artificial disturbance (15 ng g−1 particle), which indicates that larger amounts of contaminants are likely to disperse via particle resuspension from this site compared to the other fiberbank (4.8 ng g− 1 particle). The difference might be associated with a layer of recently settled minerogenic material that covers one of the fiberbanks, which probably functions as a protective barrier. The lack of benthic biota implies that contaminant release by bioturbation is negligible in the studied fiberbanks. However, benthic biota from fiber-rich sediment showed bioaccumulation and biomagnification of contaminants. Conclusions The importance of diffusive flux from fiberbanks under undisturbed conditions became apparent when the different dispersal pathways were quantified. However, no dispersal pathway could be judged as irrelevant, since even under undisturbed conditions, advective particle transport was significant. Additionally, the uptake by biota and trophic transfer can be considerable. Quantification of dispersal routes and understanding of the relative importance of various pathways is critical for proper risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments.

Sediment-water column exchange of persistent organic pollutants (PAHs and PCBs) and their transport vector in El Bey watershed, Tunisia

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia Khadhar ◽  
Dhouha Achour ◽  
Anis Chekirben ◽  
Rim Chawachi ◽  
Ammar Mlayah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants

Influence of organic carbon cycling on the fate of persistent organic pollutants in marine environments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sobek ◽  
Inna Nybom ◽  
Hans Peter Arp ◽  
Naiara Berrojalbiz ◽  
Nathan Charlton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Total Sediment

<p>Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitously present in the aquatic environment. They are hydrophobic substances that sorb to organic carbon (OC), and thus their environmental fate is closely linked to OC fluxes and pools. In this project, we test the hypothesis that future changes in the OC cycle can influence POP flux from air to sediment and reduce the POP sink in Baltic Sea sediments. The hypothesis relies on the assumption that the OC sorption capacity is affected by the relative contribution of terrestrial OC as well as the trophic status (oligotrophic versus eutrophic) of the area. Four different coastal sites were sampled, to capture different carbon regimes in terms of nutrient status and level of terrestrial OC influence. Concentrations of POPs were analysed along high-resolution sediment porewater- bottom water interface profiles, in total sediment, suspended matter collected in sediment traps and plankton, in the water column and in air. Stable carbon isotope signatures (δ<sup>13</sup>C) showed that the sites are different in terms of the influence of terrestrial organic matter, and the sites differ in nutrient conditions.</p><p>Preliminary results demonstrate that in general, sediments (three sites analysed) act as a source of PAHs to overlying water, whereas sediment and water more often are in equilibrium for PCBs, although there are variations for individual compounds. At the high nutrient-low terrestrial site, which was sampled at two different seasons, both air and water concentrations were higher for PAHs and PCBs in the autumn compared to the summer, indicating the importance of air as source of these contaminants to the water column. Accordingly, air seems an important source of PAHs to the water column in the low terrestrial-low nutrient site, as concentrations in the water column are increasing towards the water surface, whereas this was not observed for PCBs at the same site. Preliminary results from two contrasting sites in the Gulf of Finland, both with high nutrient levels but with different relative contribution of terrestrial OC, demonstrate higher total sediment concentrations of PAHs in the sediment with more marine OC, which was not observed as clearly for PCBs. Data from the water column indicate that marine OC is more efficient in sorbing POPs as air and water concentrations were similar at both sites, even though the OC vertical export at the high terrestrial site was more than double compared to the low terrestrial site. The full data set, will allow for further evaluation of hypotheses on the links between OC cycling and contaminant fate in the Baltic Sea.</p>

Some secrets of a great river: an overview of the St. Lawrence River supplement

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
D RS Lean
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽  
Ecological Context ◽  
Present Issue ◽  
Mercury Transport ◽  
New Information ◽  
Mixing Rates ◽  
St Lawrence River

The present issue attempts to cut across discipline boundaries and examines many of the suspected pollution problems in an ecological context. Each of the papers provides a rich literature on relevant issues so that the present studies can be placed in context with historical observations. The papers provide information on changes in plankton populations, macrophyte distribution, mixing rates of the water column, and the dynamics of sediments, where many of the metals and persistent organic pollutants reside. Papers on metals and persistent organic pollutants follow with special emphasis on the polychlorinated biphenyl problems of the Massena area of the Upper St. Lawrence River. Further downstream reliable models to predict polychlorinated biphenyl levels in whales were developed. Indicators for bioavailable metals in sediments were introduced and new information was provided on aspects of global mercury transport.

Fate of persistent organic pollutants in the water column: Does turbulent mixing matter?

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Jurado ◽  
José-Manuel Zaldívar ◽  
Dimitar Marinov ◽  
Jordi Dachs
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Turbulent Mixing
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