Perfluoroalkyl Acids in the Atlantic and Canadian Arctic OceansShow others and affiliations
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2012 (English)In: Environmental Science and Technology, ISSN 0013-936X, E-ISSN 1520-5851, Vol. 46, no 11, p. 5815-5823Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
We report here on the spatial distribution of C-4, C-6, and C-8 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, C-6-C-14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, and perfluorooctanesulfonamide in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, including previously unstudied coastal waters of North and South America, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) were typically the dominant perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in Atlantic water. In the midnorthwest Atlantic/Gulf Stream, sum PFAA concentrations (Sigma PFAAs) were low (77-190 pg/L) but increased rapidly upon crossing into U.S. coastal water (up to 5800 pg/L near Rhode Island). Sigma PFAAs in the northeast Atlantic were highest north of the Canary Islands (280-980 pg/L) and decreased with latitude. In the South Atlantic, concentrations increased near Rio de la Plata (Argentina/Uruguay; 350-540 pg/L Sigma PFAAs), possibly attributable to insecticides containing N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide, or proximity to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In all other southern hemisphere locations, Sigma PFAAs were <210 pg/L. PFOA/PFOS ratios were typically >= 1 in the northern hemisphere, similar to 1 near the equator, and <= 1 in the southern hemisphere. In the Canadian Arctic, Sigma PFAAs ranged from 40 to 250 pg/L, with perfluoroheptanoate, PFOA, and PFOS among the PFAAs detected at the highest concentrations. PFOA/PFOS ratios (typically >>1) decreased from Baffin Bay to the Amundsen Gulf; possibly attributable to increased atmospheric inputs. These data help validate global emissions models and contribute to understanding of long-range transport pathways and sources of PFAAs to remote regions.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 46, no 11, p. 5815-5823
National Category
Natural Sciences
Research subject
SWEDARCTIC 2005, Beringia 2005; SWEDARP 2007/08, Oden Southern Ocean 2007/08; SWEDARCTIC 2002, Arctic Ocean 2002; SWEDARCTIC; SWEDARP
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:polar:diva-2324DOI: 10.1021/es300578xISI: 000304783000026PubMedID: 22548373OAI: oai:DiVA.org:polar-2324DiVA, id: diva2:858379
2015-10-022015-10-022017-12-01