Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in antarctic fish: levels, patterns, changes
Introduction
In the northern hemisphere environmental levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)––pesticides and technical chemicals––generally declined in the 1970s and levelled off in the 1980s because of bans in the industrialised world. However, substantial export of banned persistent pesticides to developing countries continued at least until 1999 (Smith, 2001). In recent years, POPs have increasingly been documented to occur in arctic and antarctic animals remote from points of their uses or emissions (Weber and Goerke, 1996; Van den Brink, 1997; Zimmermann, 1997; AMAP, 1998; Goerke et al., 2003). Atmospheric long-range transport is responsible for advection of POPs as gases and aerosols to the polar regions (Tanabe et al., 1983; Larsson et al., 1992; Bidleman et al., 1993). Cold condensation (Wania and Mackay, 1995; Wania and Mackay, 1996) and subsequent bioaccumulation lead to their occurrence in polar animals. Whereas rivers and ocean currents are additionally of importance as vectors in the marine Arctic, analyses of POPs in the Antarctic clearly point to compounds being transferred via the atmosphere. Owing to the remoteness of the Antarctic, levels of POPs in antarctic animals reflect the global pollution with these compounds without interference from local impacts. The relation between antarctic and global pollution is particularly expressive, if global partition is close to steady state. Therefore, in this study both recent levels of various POPs in antarctic fish were determined, and also their changes in roughly a decade; these data fill a gap in information on trends of POPs in Antarctica. The samples allowed the determination of temporal trends for three species separately and the detection of the relationship of POP concentration patterns to feeding characteristics. This evaluation is superior to a previous one of combined species (Weber and Goerke, 1996), if species-specific uptake or bioaccumulation occurs.
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Material and methods
Three fish species were obtained by bottom trawling during Polarstern cruises ANT VI/2 in 1987 and ANT XIV/2 in 1996: humped rockcod, Gobionotothen gibberifrons (Nototheniidae), mackerel icefish, Champsocephalus gunnari (Channichthyidae) and blackfin icefish, Chaenocephalus aceratus (Channichthyidae). They were packed in polyethylene bags and stored deep-frozen at −30 °C until analysed in 1998. For improving the comparative results of different years, specimens of comparable weight ranges and
POP concentrations for 1987 and 1996
Introductory remarks: POP concentrations in fish are presented in this study on the basis of EOM, because chlorinated hydrocarbons are preferentially stored in lipids. In G. gibberifrons and C. gunnari liver samples in 1996 had slightly lower EOM concentrations in 1987. The reasons for these differences are unknown, as all fishes were obtained at the same season. Fig. 1 contains not only data of the present analytical series but also values from 1987 of Weber and Goerke (1996). The results of
Conclusion
Because POPs were shown to vary in concentration pattern with the feeding types of fish species (bottom invertebrate, krill, fish feeder), they are differently transferred to environmental compartments in Antarctica. Many of them associate with organic matter and bioaccumulate preferably in the benthic food web. Of the most highly concentrated pollutants, HCB is bioconcentrated from the water, while p,p′-DDE is substantially biomagnified. Most POPs showed increasing levels in antarctic fish
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Ms. A. Müller and Mr. W. Drebing for excellent laboratory assistance and Dr. K.-H. Kock (Bundesforschungsanstalt für Fischerei, Hamburg) for the collection of fish during Polarstern cruise ANT XIV/2. We are greatly indepted to Dr. R.F. Addison (Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, Canada) for reviewing and improving the manuscript.
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